A Huntress In Hueco Mundo
by Groffiction
Summary: Five hunters from a parallel world to Hueco Mundo and the Soul Society accidentally stumble into the world of the Hollows in search of their mates. Mates include Aizen, Gin, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Stark. M/M and F/M are listed as warnings.
1. Prologue

**Title**: A Huntress In Hueco Mundo  
**Author**: Azriel, groffiction  
**Beta(s):** **astiga0802** & **cinnamontea1877** from LJ  
**Fandom**: Bleach Au… and characters are a bit OOC  
**Rating**: NC17 all the way.  
**Pairings**: Aizen/Night, Ulquiorra/Max, Grimmjow/Lisa, Ichimaru/Jade, Stark/Ryu.  
**Disclaimer**: This is fanfiction, which means I make no money off of it, nor do I own Bleach or its characters, settings, yadda yadda yadda. Don't sue. I am broke. Period. I am only writing this for fun, nothing else. I DO own Midnight Onyx, Lisa Trinity, Max Farthing, Jade Hollinger, Ryu Livingston, and anything to do with them their world, and other original characters. No touchy.  
**Summary**: Midnight Onyx and her best friends Lisa, Jade, Ryu, and Max are part of a Dragon community that parallel's the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. This world in which they live in also parallel's Ichigo's world and is very similar. The only fact is that their world is called Nemrid, and all of the 'humans' are Shifters… beings that can change their form into animals, plants, etc. Unfortunately (or fortunately =D), Onyx and her friends stumble on a gateway that unknowingly leads them to Hueco Mundo, which in turn leads them to King Aizen and his family of Espada. And it just so happens to be during the shifter's 'seeking' stage… the stage that comes right before mating season.

***Author's Note*** Just to warn everyone, my stories are M for a reason. This reason is simple. Language, violence and shmex are too intense and mature for people under the age of 16. Be responsible. Don't be an idiot. Also, the world that the friends come from is just like ours… with a few odd additions. One being that everyone can shape shift into an animal, plant, etc. The second is that everyone is trained for war, and is built to love war. Peace is something that only people dream of.

* * *

**Prologue: Starving**

* * *

Midnight Onyx, or 'Night' as her friends fondly called her, yawned and got out of bed. It was early… not even dawn yet, but she was wide awake. The small, curvy woman of 26 had a knack for only sleeping two hours a night. Still… it was depressing really, when all of your buddies and family slept more than eight. So, she did what she always did and found something to entertain herself with.

She quickly took a shower and washed her hair with her favorite strawberry scented shampoo. After scrubbing herself clean with a bright blue loufa (scrunchee) drenched in strawberry scented soap, she turned off the shower and toweled herself dry with a big fluffy black towel. She combed her short blond spiked hair and fluffed it a bit with gel to make it stand in odd directions. Satisfied, Night brushed her teeth and dressed in a long sleeved black shirt and matching dark jeans. Putting on her boots, she firmly strapped a dagger to her ankle and a matching one to her thigh.

Heck… in this world, you never could be overly careful.

She put on a black trench coat/hoodie and strapped her long black laced with crimson sword to her back. She put the hoodie's cowl over her head and quickly left her sister's house out the window, silent as a grave. It was nearing the mid part of October, and the chill of the night air stung the huntress' cheeks. As she breathed in the crispness, she briefly looked up at the four moons… ever present in the night sky. The night itself was pitch black, despite all of the light pollution reflecting from the city.

She sighed, blowing out a deep gust of steam and roof hopped onto several nearby houses. Soon, she was in the heart of the city, its tall skyscrapers towering over the land they were built on. Quickly glancing around with her blue green eyes, Night figured the coast was clear. She blinked and suddenly she was a tall black winged cat with dark blue tattoos zigzagging over her frame like a tiger's stripes. A long mane of hair as blue as a brilliant opalesque sapphire topped her head and shoulders… her tail was tipped with the same matching hair. Long canines adorned her mouth and she hunted prey.

Keeping stealthily to the shadows of the towering buildings around her, Night sniffed out her prey… a large demon with enough spirit pressure to kill an ox. She grunted in her cat dragon like form, not too thrilled by that small fact. She was used to draining large spirited demons, but this one would do for the night. She had fed the night before on a large demon, so it wasn't as much of a bother.

A high pitched clicking noise jolted her out of her huntress mode and she turned to see one of her best friends, Lisa come in sight, transformed into her own dragon like creature. Lisa was more wolf than cat, but that didn't stop the two from being best friends ever since Kindergarten. Lisa's odd but gorgeous golden eyes studied her friend for a moment before going over and brushing against the cat in a friendly matter.

_How in God's name did you know I was out here, and why are you awake still? It's four thirty and you need to go to school today. _Night asked telepathically. Lisa was in college, training to be a military assassin for the Royal Guardians of Nemrid. Night was also in college, training to be a Guardian, which was the highest rank anyone could get in the lands of Nemrid. But, luckily she only needed two hours sleep.

_I haven't seen you in a week and wanted to call, but never got the chance. Now I have the chance to see you and why not help you hunt? _Lisa laughed softly, the noise sounding more like a wolfish snort. Night regarded her friend with a very wary eye. Lisa was wolf like, being silver with four silver feathered wings. Black spikes made a trail down her back from the top of her head to the tip of her tail. A ping tongue lolled out of her mouth in a silly manner as the wolf dragon animal chuckled.

Suddenly a beautiful red dragon with jade eyes appeared next to Lisa. The dragon had fire glinting scales all over her body and her wings were flat on her back. A long tail wrapped around her legs and she sat next to her friend.

Night sniffed and rolled her eyes. She shook her head in amusement, scattering glossy blue hair in the process. _If it's not you, Lisa… then it is Jade. You two are inseparable. You know, this would be all perfect and all if Max and little Ryu were here._

Lisa snorted with mirth. _Been there, done that. _She shifted aside as their other best friends, Max and Ryu came up behind her. Both were also in their shifted forms. Max was in the form of a tall grey snow dragon, fur covering nearly all of his body from head to wings to tail. His brown eyes blinked tiredly as he squatted down next to his friends. He yawned hugely, showing a long line of sharp white teeth. He had black freckles on the bridge of his soft nose, and had a long line of white speckles that twirled around his torso and ended at the tip of his tail.

With his sleepy eyes and fluffy appearance, Night almost mistook him for a cute stuffed grey polar bear. He grumpily asked, _Is there a point to this excursion in this late hour? I have finals at nine hundred hours._

_You wanted to come, so quit complaining. _Lisa shoved him lightly, carefully avoiding hitting him with her long spikes.

Ryu grumpily looked at everyone, a bit tired himself. He was in a shifted form of a horned demon dragon, complete with fire red mane and tail, black body with dark cherry talons for feet. Looking a bit put out, the demon dragon warily sighed, his vivid green eyes flickering with ever present irritableness.

Lisa playfully swatted at the younger dragon and then turned to their leader and asked, _So… where's the meat?_

* * *

In a parallel world situated just outside of the Soul Society lay Hueco Mundo… a desertous place of sand, crystallized trees, and an ever present crescent moon centered in an ink black sky. No color existed there except on strange creatures that made the place their home. One such creature was a small child like Arrancar, former third Espada Nel. Her bluish green hair was all over the place as she tried to run screaming from her friends. It was an old game they entertained themselves with in order to pass the long endless days and nights in Hueco Mundo. Peshe, a thin purple grey hollow with a twisted sense of style finally caught Nel in the game of tag and laughed. Their other two friends reached them and sat down panting.

Nel looked around and said in a whine, "It's so boring here without Itsygo."

"Ichigo." Peshe corrected her.

"Itsygo."

"Ichigo."

"Itsygo."

"Ichigooooo."

"Itsygoooo."

"Whatever." Peshe gave up and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked over at his large clown like friend. "She's right though."

"Yeah. Man, I am so tired of playing the same games over and over. You know what I'm saying?" The clownish hollow, Dondochakka sighed and looked at Nel. "No offense, Nel."

"It's ok." She brushed him off and looked around. "I wonder how long it's been since Itsygo and his friends where here?"

"Hmmm…." Peshe thought for a moment then sighed, "About forty five years."

"Damn." Nel surprised everyone by cursing.

"NEL! You shouldn't curse like that! Who even taught you how?" Peshe exclaimed, shocked.

"I have a pretty good idea who did. You know what I'm saying?" Dondochakka rumbled and clucked, "It was Ichigo, wasn't it Nel?"

"So what?" Nel asked nobody in particular. "I wonder if he's all old and grey now. I wonder if he died and went to the Soul Societeeee. I miss him."

"We do too." Peshe nodded, their other two friends agreed.

Nel sighed and looked over to the north of them… and there stood the great powerful fortress Las Noches, a palace of the great King Aizen and his followers the Espada. "I wonder if Itsygo is happy."

"He should be. He managed to defeat nearly all of the Espada and took that boobilicious woman with him. What was her name? Ori… Oriii… Orihime! And Aizen ordered a cease fire on Soul Society so he could regain his resources and power up with the orb thingy (Hogyoku)." Peshe grumbled.

Nel let out a wail. "I miiissss ITTTSssyyyGOOoooo."

Her friends sighed and tried to comfort her as best they could, knowing that it would pass… this feeling of absolute loneliness.

* * *

In the great palace Las Noches, Gin Ichimaru made his way through the white halls, an almost ever present smile on his fox like face. It had been forty five long years since Aizen had been forced to retreat… no… not forced. Aizen would never be forced to do anything. More like it had been that long since Aizen _chose _to regroup and strengthen their forces.

They had lost many surprisingly to the Soul Reapers, especially because of the substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki. Among them had been Nnoitra, the Fifth Espada, Yammy, the Tenth Espada, Szayel, the Eighth Espada, and a few others of the Espada class that Gin never really remembered their names. They had been replaced of course. So all that remained from the original Espada were Stark, the Primera Espada, Ulquiorra, the Fourth Espada, and lastly Grimmjow, the Sixth Espada. Everyone else was new or newer. Frankly, Gin never could figure out how those three had been spared death from Ichigo and his friends.

Gin sighed softly and moved brusquely to the throne room, where Aizen and the original three Espada were congregating. Ever since the cease fire, Aizen had become closer (if you could call it that) to his original surviving Espada, involving them in more discussions and decisions… as well as spending more time training with them. As he reached the throne room, Kaname Tosen appeared beside him.

"Ooohhh… are you trying to scare me, Kaname?" Gin asked in that eerie, yet disturbingly sexy voice of his.

The blind dark skinned man sighed softly. "As if I would." He then said softly, "I am to see Lord Aizen as well."

"How interesting." Gin mused as he and the other former Shinigami entered the room.

Lord Aizen lounged on his throne sipping some herbal tea to help his reoccurring headaches. They had become more frequent lately and he didn't understand why. Maybe it had to deal with the fact of his illness.

Either that or it was just a reaction to the Hogyoko and using it so much lately. He didn't know. It annoyed him to no end that he for once couldn't understand something. He was used to knowing much, MUCH more than anyone else. He had precious little time left to fulfill his wishes. Sweat dripped down the back of his long white jacket, a signature trademark of his reign. His hair was a bit matted more than usual, and his eyes were a bit tired. Other than that he looked the same on the outside.

Gin and Kaname both noticed the little changes though, even though one was completely hindered by a visor. Both bowed to their commander. Gin then took in where the Espada were lounging. Grimmjow was in his usual place, sprawled out on a big throne like box underneath Aizen's feet. He was chewing on a lesser hollow bone, his large turquoise eyes taking in the two Generals. After a minute, the arrancar looked away, grunting.

_Ah… Grimmy is acting thorny as usual_. Gin noted with a bigger smile. He then took in Ulquiorra's presence, who was located near the throne, leaning up against a pillar. His vivid green eyes boredly regarded the Generals as well. He coughed slightly and winced, an unusual act that wasn't lost on the two former Shinigami. Did the arrancar have a cold? Did Espada even get colds? Stark was the last one to be surveyed. He was sitting near Grimmjow's sprawled form and was reading a book.

_Wait… wait… WAIT?_ Gin gaped slightly in surprise. Each one of the Espada had no remains of their broken masks, and their hollow holes were much smaller! And… what's this? They were wearing BLACK! Each one was wearing Espada clothing only in black with color coordinated sashes. Grimmjow's matched his turquoise hair and eyes. Ulquiorra's was emerald. Stark's was grey. Gin very quickly returned his face back into his own mask of a fox with the closed eyes and eerie grin. "Aizen-sama… you managed to perfect the Espada?"

Kaname took in a deep breath to cover his shock. If Gin was right… which he usually was… then Aizen had the power now to make the King's Key without mishaps! Perfecting the Espada was a long process, but not impossible. It was a key ingredient into draining power from the ultimate source… instead of taking thousands of lives and dealing with the Soul Society.

Aizen rubbed the bridge of his nose with his trademark smirk on his handsome face. Brown eyes regarded his Generals carefully. He chose his words very carefully. "Yes… but in so doing… I used up a bit too much of the Hogyoku. There is very little left."

"You still haven't found a way to recreate it?" Kaname asked carefully, not wanting to offend his leader.

Aizen rubbed his head furiously, willing the headache that had turned into a full blown migraine to go away. "I have found a way… but it will take time… much more time than we have."

"Whatever do you mean, Aizen-sama?" Gin asked delicately. He knew that his master had headaches. And when he had massive ones, he was more or less unpredictable… even more so than normal.

Aizen dropped his hand and closed his eyes. After a few seconds he opened them and peered at his subordinates. "The only way to recreate it is to get Kisuke Urahara to make it for me… but I have very little time left to try and persuade him to our purpose. He is happily married now with Yoruichi Shihoin and they have a family. They now live in the same palace that we want to take over."

"Ah." Kaname and Gin said together, but then Kaname asked gently, "Aizen-sama… what do you mean by having very little time?"

Grimmjow growled low in his throat, causing both Generals to look at him suspiciously. Aizen smiled a real smile for a change and calmed the obsessive Espada by saying, "It is alright, sexta Espada. I wanted to tell them anyway."

_Since when did Grimmy get all protective of Aizen? He usually is the one who hates being leashed. _Gin thought as he surveyed both Espada and master.

Aizen stood and walked down to his Generals. Grimmjow and the other Espada got up from their places and protectively fell behind their master… just in case. Aizen came up to stand before the two loyal servants and sighed softly, his face turning deadly serious.

"The truth is, gentlemen… I am dying."


	2. Chapter 1

*Thank you so much to both of my betas. Without you, this would be pretty bad.*

**Chapter 1: Mind of Mates, Part One**

**~v~**

Night sighed softly as she finished 'feeding'. _That was such a waste of energy. The demon didn't even have much of a spirit level._

_Stop agonizing about it. You should be happy that it was only a little demon and that there weren't any bigger fish to fry. You might not have a final in less than four hours, but I do. _The grey snow dragon grumbled. Max yawned again and belched loudly.

_Damn, that was completely disgusting. _Jade said, appalled. Ryu gave the other male a strange disgusted look. Even the teenaged dragon couldn't stand uncouthness in people.

_Uh huh. _Lisa and Night agreed, though secretly Night didn't mind. Her only sister was a burpaholic, so it really didn't bother her.

Then all of the dragon like creatures stiffened as they felt an enormous spiritual pressure. _Woooooaaa…. What is that? _Night tensed and smelled the air. It smelled like... _yum_. She didn't know what it smelled like, but it was delicious and it was hypnotizing her senses. Her mouth watered and she broke out into a run, following the scent and the intense spiritual pressure.

_NIGHT! Get back here! _Lisa hollered mentally as she chased after her friend.

_Why is it always Night who dashes mindlessly into the middle of danger? _Jade asked no one in particular as she and Ryu followed their friends.

Max yawned again before taking up the chase in last place, not really worried. He'd just have to make up the final later if they got back late. It had happened before.

Night ran as fast as she could across the building tops of the city. Eventually she got to an old warehouse and blundered inside without further thought. She sneezed a bit, but the scent was getting stronger. She could almost taste its deliciousness. Why was she getting turned on by it? Lust raged through her veins and she hurried down to the basement, which was no small feet for a large cat dragon of her size. She could barely hear her friends calling her in the back of her mind, but she ignored them. All that mattered was getting to the source of that unbelievably delicious smell.

She finally stopped at a seemingly dead end in the basement. She whined softly and sniffed the air. The scent was coming from behind the wall. She trembled and was about to leap against the thing when her friends stopped her. _Dude… you need to stop being so psycho, Night. What is up with you? _Max asked, ironically the first person to arrive at the warehouse.

_Nooo… I need it! I can smell… I can…. _Night babbled incoherently as she struggled to move around Max.

_What is it you need? What can you smell? _Jade asked as she followed Lisa and Ryu into the basement.

_I need…. I need HIMMMMMM! I can smell HIM! _Night snarled out, not understanding that it was a man that smelled so good… nor did she know that she had told them that it was a guy.

Jade, Lisa, Ryu, and Max looked at one another and whispered at the same time, _Shit._

This had only happened once in their friendship and it had been with Jade. During that time, Jade had just out of the blue taken off, following the scent of her _mate. _And no one could stop her from it until she got to her mate.

Unfortunately her mate had been married for several years, and Jade… not wanting to interfere with his happy life, nearly killed herself by leaving his side to live alone. It had scarred her deeply, and the wound still hadn't healed. It was rare for a person such as themselves to find a mate… a TRUE mate who was much more than a soul mate. And it was even rarer at times to find that mate unclaimed. Jade had never been the same.

And now the most wild of them all, yet the most brilliant of them all, was mate-scented. Great. Lisa, Ryu, Jade, and Max sighed and let her go, knowing that it would kill Night not to go to him. But… that didn't mean they couldn't follow to make sure she didn't get hurt. Night rammed herself into the wall and let out a cry of alarm as she _fell_ through it into the world of white sand… an ink black sky… and an ever present crescent moon.

She hit the ground on her feet though… gotta love cat luck. It was the landing of her friends on top of her that made her black out.

In fact… all of the comrades blacked out… but not because of landing hard… it was because of how dense the spiritual particles were. It was like almost a fatal rush of ecstasy. And then… something strange happened. Their minds started wandering out of their bodies. Minds are always drawn to their mates, even if they do not know it themselves.

Most shifters of their home world only had this happen when one: their unclaimed mates were nearby, two: when there was going to be a really bad attack on their planet, and three: when their mates were in danger.

~v~

Aizen gasped softly as he suddenly felt a powerful surge of pain and pleasure hit his mind. _What the Hell? _He wondered, eyes uncharacteristically wide with shock. He nearly collapsed and briefly heard Kaname murmur at his side, "Are you alright, sir?"

Gin's usual foxy face lost its grin and he opened his eyes to watch his lord and master. What was that that he and Kaname just felt? Whatever it was, it had headed for Aizen and crashed into him like a bull in rutting season. Damn… what kind of spiritual pressure was that?

Kaname wrapped an arm around Aizen's back, trying to understand what was going on.

Grimmjow growled low in his throat and protectively asked, "Are you ok, sir?" He made no move to touch his master though, knowing from experience that that was a very seriously bad thing to do. Even though Aizen was dying, the arrancar had to admit that his master still had his pride and still had his power. And for that made the original Espada respect him a whole lot more than they ever had during the war.

Ulquiorra and Stark were nearby, ready to be of assistance if needed. Ulquiorra tensed as he sensed another wave of strange spiritual pressure come into the throne room. Where was it headed? He wondered as he looked from wall to wall.

~v~

Night was in a dream state, or vision state, she didn't know which. His scent was so strong now, and now she understood what it was that captivated her. It was a man… and… it was her mate. Not just a mate, no… it was a mate of being. How had she managed to find him, she didn't know. How she knew anything else… that fact also she didn't know. All she knew was that he was close… very close… and her mind was already mingling with his.

He was beautiful… this creature of the dismal white, grey, and black place. He had brown hair, slightly wavy, and short, but not too short. A long wavy lock of hair fell between his eyes and it was tempting to brush it to the side. His eyes were also brown, but had a density in them that could melt any human… or drown any woman with desire. She involuntarily shivered, trying very hard not to overwhelm him.

Hell, that was funny.

Here she was, overwhelmed, and she was trying not to overwhelm him? What a joke. Sensations were like colors; vivid reds, blues, and greens. His mind was very complex and very strong. Huge steel walls covered his mind, thick with bars of harder metal, and barely any windows. There was plenty of light though. She was surprised that he let her take a look around at all. But… maybe that was because it was an accident? She looked him over again… his inner self image and found it to be even more stunning. He wore white… trimmed with grey and black. It looked sexy on him, and did little to hide that he was ripped. She just about drooled.

"Do you like what you see?" He asked, with a voice that could mesmerize even an angel. Wow…. How could she be so lucky? Her eyes met his and she blushed, but held his gaze, very curious. Whoever came up with the phrase, 'Curiosity killed the cat', should have been handsomely rewarded.

Finally she whispered, "Yes. Very much so." Now why in the Hell did she tell him that? She wondered, suddenly feeling the urge to rip her tongue out.

Aizen regarded the intruder in his mind with awe… and suspicion. He looked her up and down. She was very pretty, short spiked dark blue hair… fair skin… freckles on her nose… and oceanic blue green eyes. A light dusting of light blue scale like markings accented her neck and trailed over her arms. She was small and curvy, but was stronger than a horde of Menos. He had the proof of that by her just being in his mind at all. He saw her blush turn a bit pinker and he chuckled inwardly. She was amusing… if not downright interesting. He knew he should be irritated by her barging into his mind like this… but… maybe it would work out in his favor?

He slowly smiled in that characteristic smirk of his and he suddenly was by her side. He leaned in, his mouth nearly touching hers. He smelled her scent. She smelled of strawberries and of something else he couldn't quite place. Either way, both smells were intoxicating and it was all he could do to not tackle her. Years and years of restraint were almost melted down to nothing with her in his thoughts. He asked her softly, not really intending to sound so husky, "Who are you?"

~v~

Aizen trembled and promptly passed out from the stress of his mental state. Kaname sighed softly and laid his boss on the ground gently. Gin was just returning from hunting down a cushion and blanket. He put it under Aizen's head and watched as Kaname drew the blanket over their master. Grimmjow let out a cry as the strange entering spiritual pressure collided with him. Ulquiorra watched him dispassionately as the sexta Espada collapsed onto the floor with a loud bang.

_Idiot. _The fourth Espada thought as he sensed yet another spiritual pressure enter the room through the walls. What was going on? His emerald eyes regarded Grimmjow again, noting that the fool was out cold… like Aizen-sama. The entity bounced off of the walls of the throne room and then collided with Stark. The primera Espada collapsed to the ground with a soft groan.

Gin noted the entering pressures and clicked his zanpakuto, ready to draw it. Kaname grabbed his hand to stay his advance. The dark man said softly, "I think they mean us no harm."

"You could have fooled me." Gin said softly as he scanned the room, taking in the fallen form of Grimmy and Stark.

~v~

Lisa found herself in a chaotic room with disorganization as the norm. She looked around, wondering like everyone else what was going on. She then found herself pushed into a wall by a very strong… male with very vivid blue hair and blue eyes. She wrinkled her nose. "Off me CAT!" She growled and shoved him off.

"BITCH! Who the Hell are you and what the Fuck are you doing in my mind?" Grimmjow hollered, glaring at her dangerously.

"PUSSY!" Lisa shrieked. "You act like I wanted to be plunked down in some overgrown litter box that you conveniently call a mind! Get me outta here!" She bolted for the door but never made it. His thick arms wrapped around her and he sniffed her hair, which was long and blond… and very smooth and silky. His body involuntarily became interested, but his mind was still on other matters.

"This may be a litter box, but it's mine, so you'd best be kind and tell me WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE DOING IN MY HEAD!" Grimmjow bellowed into her ear. "Cause if you don't… I might get pissed… and then something bad might happen to you."

"My name is Lisa Trinity, and I'm from the planet Nemrid. I honestly don't know how I ended up in your mind. You are a prick, you know that?" Lisa regarded the blue haired man with annoyance. The wolf in her wanted to bite him, but the woman in her was noticing all of his attractive features. Traitorous lust bunnies!

"You've got a point?" Grimmjow asked softly with a grin. This could get fun.

"No… but somehow I don't think you do either." Lisa snidely mentioned, trying unsuccessfully to get out of his tight grip.

"Oh, you don't do you?" Grimmjow asked, his mood changing to playful. "You want to bet?"

Lisa grinned wolfishly. "You are on, hot shot."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Mind of Mates, Part 2**

**~v~**

Aizen continued to smell the girl's scent. It was driving him insane… really… for real this time. She still hadn't answered his question, but that was ok. He could wait. It was _his_ mind after all. He couldn't help from touching a short lock of her spiked hair that had fallen over her face. He wondered at its silkiness. He suddenly had an urge to run his fingers through her hair, to find out if it was just as silky.

Night trembled and couldn't help but lean into his face to sniff his scent. He smelled so good. She now could discern that he smelled like Sandalwood with a bit of something else. Either way she felt her mouth water. She wondered if he tasted just as good as he smelled? Her face barely touched his face with her own and let out a very loud purr. Her whole being wanted to bond with him… but she knew that it wouldn't be a very good idea… especially if the guy was very independent. Independent people needed trust first before they could make a successful bonding, and even then it had to be complete trust. She reigned in her lust and gulped.

She finally answered his question, not wanting to make him upset for some reason. Little did she know that Aizen had an infinite source of patience, "I'm Midnight Onyx… of the world Nemrid." She blinked and stepped away from him. She knew somehow that once her and her friends fell into that wall, they weren't in their own world anymore. Something about the whole fact of having no grey sands or ink black skies with no stars in their own world.

Her voice was like nothing he'd ever heard. It was soft and musical and it made him very… uncomfortably aroused. He thought of the name of her world. Nemrid… he'd never heard of it before. Maybe it would be a whole different world he could conquer. HA! Like he was going to conquer much with what little time he had left to live. He was just overstepping himself… and he knew it. Still… it had a nice ring to it.

He coughed softly and introduced himself, "I am Sosuke Aizen of Hueco Mundo." He didn't mention that he ruled Las Noches… nor did he mention anything about the Espada. He figured it best not to until he found out more about her.

Trust was something he usually never gave to anyone… and the only ones who had it were either dead or impossibly trustworthy. Still… even he didn't trust them as much as someone usually trusts. He had survived for as long as he had because of that fact. He finally asked, his eyes turning very serious and very deadly, "May I ask what you are doing in my mind?"

"Oh… um… about that." Night worried her lip, gotta love nervous habits. She finally figured it was best to move out now. "Well, it was an accident really…. So… gotta go!" She tried to run to the door and suddenly he was there in front of her, wrapping his unbelievably strong arms around her.

"Leaving so soon?" Aizen smiled evilly and he dipped his head into her hair. It was lightly gelled, but he didn't mind. His was similar, though not quite as silky. It smelled like strawberries. Her scent was so overwhelming and yet… he couldn't get enough of it.

Night felt her face be crushed into his chest and she gasped. His scent was way too strong and addictive for his own good. If he didn't let her go soon, she'd jump him.

~v~

Ryu warily looked around in a room filled with sofas, beds, cushions, and luxury of every sort. Strangely, the place only had two colors, black and white. The white furniture, and the black walls and floor. Weird and kind of creepy if you asked him. The fire haired teen suddenly stiffened as he heard someone say softly in a smooth, sexy voice, "Well, well, well… a human. Who would have thunk it?"

Ryu turned in the direction of the molten chocolate voice and spotted a man with very long legs, dressed in white with his shirt opened at the collar to reveal soft looking skin. Ryu gulped as he met the man's vivid brown eyes and longish brown hair. Dayum… that guy was one hot piece of flesh. The teen gulped and tried very hard to control his lust. Damn teenage hormones!

Stark studied the boy with interest, noting that the boy had dark crimson spiked hair, black scale like markings on his neck, dipping into his shirt along his spine, a pierced ear, and a pierced lip. Interesting. The primera smiled casually, "Well, don't be shy. Come on over. Let me look at you closer."

Ryu felt a shudder run through his body, making his skin prickle and his hair poof a bit more. Damn, that guy's voice should be illegal. And why did he feel like he was Little Red Riding Hood talking to some big bad wolf? Still, the teen was intrigued, so he advanced over to the man, wondering briefly where he was and how to get out.

Stark sat up and slowly got to his feet, moving in a circle around the boy, taking in every angle. He sniffed the boy's scent and nearly drooled. Shit… the boy smelled like sex dipped in chocolate. Even Lilinette didn't smell that good. He smiled and asked softly, "Who might you be?"

Ryu shivered under the other man's gaze and blurted out, "Ryu Livingston."

"Hmmm… Ryu… dragon… nice name. Mine's Stark. I'm an Espada from Las Noches." He didn't know why he said it, but he figured why the hell not. He reached over and ruffled the teen's spiked hair. Woa… it was soft and fluffy… like a cat's paw.

The boy blushed and pushed Stark's hand away. "Please don't. It's fuckin' rude to touch someone when you don't know him!"

Stark laughed softly, totally amused. "You know what, I like you, kid. Now… tell me more about yourself."

~v~

Ulquiorra hissed as the newest intruder's spiritual pressure slammed into him. He wilted and glided to the floor, more graceful than Grimmy's 'Kuthunk' and Stark's soft fall. He let out soft gasps as his mind was overrun by a very interesting exotic male mind. He closed his eyes and blacked out.

"Well that was unexpected. He usually is the grim reaper when it comes to emotions." Gin yawned and looked at Ulquiorra's downed form.

Lindor, the Espada that took place of Szayel came in, asking softly, "Does it seem to be hurting them?"

"I don't think so." Kaname said slowly, noting that his master was very… very aroused.

Gin chuckled softly, a true grin breaking over his face. "More like it's pleasing them."

Kaname sighed softly. "That is not what worries me about these intruders."

"Then what would it be?" Gin asked playfully.

"It's that they are in each host's minds. They may not intend to harm us… but they could change that view at any moment." Kaname said reasonably, adjusting Aizen's blanket so his arousal didn't look so obvious.

"So… that's why you stopped me?" Gin asked jokingly. He then looked over at Aizen and sighed softly. The former taicho was flushed and sweating. He wondered if it was from the intruder… or Aizen's sickness… whatever it was. Maybe it was a combination of both? He gestured for Lindor to come over. Once he got the lead Espada next to him he told him to go get some help to move the unconscious king and fallen Espada to the med lab so they could be in beds instead of on the cold floor.

Kaname sighed appreciatively and touched Aizen's forehead. It was burning up. That wasn't a good sign… but he couldn't do much Kido on him for obvious reasons. Kido might excite the being inside Aizen's mind. And Kaname definitely didn't want to do that.

As the lead Espada left, another intruder filtered in.

~v~

Max was walking in a very straight line, rain falling everywhere… on him… on the road he was walking on… and on the dead trees around him. Where he was, he didn't know… the only thing was that he sensed someone was following him. But… every time he turned to see who it was, no one was there.

Creepy. Yep… this place was creepy. It was October wasn't it? All Hollow's Eve was near, but still. Thank God this place wasn't from his own mind… that he knew for sure. How he knew, he didn't know… but whatever. Max always understood to go with the flow of things, and if you rushed things, you were stupid and got yourself into big trouble usually. Night was a big example of that. Whose mind did this belong to? He wondered.

Ulquiorra watched from a distance, regarding the strange but attractive man with suspicion and interest. Who would dare touch his mind? And how did such trash get into his head in the first place? He hissed silently and made himself invisible as the man turned to look behind him. He had to admit… the man knew how to watch his ass.

The arrancar suddenly had the urge to reach out and touch the man's long white hair. He'd never seen anyone with long white hair unless they were old. (Apparently he's never seen Ukitake) But… this man was young… very young, with stunning brown eyes and darkly tanned skin… so different from his own.

He hissed as he noticed that he had been trapped in his own musings and was now visible to the man… who was looking him up and down like he was some sort of cooked steak. He kept his face an emotionless mask as he regarded the man… who in turn was regarding him.

Max finally asked, "Ok… since when did I get a ticket to the doll house of clowns?"

Ulquiorra's eyebrows shot up nearly to his hairline. "What are you talking about?"

Max chuckled. "Nothing, Emerald. My name is Max Farthing and am from the planet Nemrid. You are?"

"Fourth Espada of Las Noches, Ulquiorra Schiffer. What are you doing in my mind?" The arrancar asked, moving to stand closer to the human like creature. He had a very peculiar scent that made his senses tingle. He bit his lip unconsciously.

Max regarded the clownish Emo looking man with interest. "You know… I have no idea. I certainly wouldn't be looking for this sort of thing. I mean, it's nice and all, but my mind is so less screwed up than yours."

Ulquiorra asked softly, "You don't like rain?"

"Sometimes. Most of the time I don't really care what the weather is like. Do you like rain?" He caught the scent of the strange Emo and tensed. He smelt heavenly. What the Hell? He wasn't gay… or at least he didn't think he was. Then… why was he getting turned on by this F'U' guy? This was so weird.

The arrancar looked at the rain and sighed, "I don't know if I do or not."

Wow… this guy had some major issues.

~v~

Grimmjow led the strange hot woman through another door of his mind and into a huge black room with several mirrors adorned on the ceiling. Lisa sighed softly and readied herself. She knew that this blue haired cat wanted to play, and she was all too eager to oblige him. But… she couldn't help wondering how in the world she had gotten into his mind in the first place.

The man let go of Lisa's arm and breezed by her to take his stance opposite of her… about twenty feet away. As he did so, Lisa caught a whiff of his scent and nearly doubled over, gagging. It was a strong cat like scent that faintly smelled like Axel. Strangely enough, what made her want to gag wasn't his smell… it was her reaction to it. _What the Hell? I'm getting turned on by a cat!_

"Before we start, I figure it best if you tell me what your name is." Lisa said, pulling out a huge spear like weapon that would give a Klingon something to worry about. She flipped it a few times and then pulled it underneath her arm. She crouched low to the ground, one hand in front of her.

"Oh… so you want to know the name of your killer? Wuss." Grimmjow laughed maniacally, his eyes wild with interest. This girl was in for a big surprise if she even thought about underestimating him.

"No… I want to know the name of the jackass PUSSY I am going to kill so I can nail it onto his coffin!" Lisa matched his grin with one of her own.

The Espada laughed heartily and licked his lips, "You've got spirit, bitch, I'll give you that. But if you insist, this here's-"He pointed to himself, "Sixth Espada of Las Noches, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques."

"Wow… what a mouthful. I think I'll call you Grimmy." The woman sneered.

"Only if I get to call you Puppy Girl." Grimmjow jeered back.

Lisa wasn't to be daunted so she jibed right back, "So… since you are the sixth, then that means there are others stronger than you, right?"

Grimmjow shrugged and then said with a fiercer grin, "You gonna fight or what?"

"In such a hurry to die?" Lisa laughed.

"Naw… not before you anyway." And with that, Grimmjow attacked with his bare hands.


	4. Chapter 3

**~3~ Mind of Mates, Part Three**

Night tensed as she felt Aizen run a finger down the side of her throat. He was still holding her in a vice like grip and it seriously pissed her off that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get out of that embrace. "Please…." She hissed as the infuriating man followed the path of his fingers with his lips… just ever so lightly touching her skin. It sent chills up and down her spine and caused naughty feelings to rush through her hormone infested body. Oh… the guy was good at seducing… very good.

"Please, what?" Aizen whispered against her skin, knowing perfectly well what the answer was. When he'd first become a soul reaper wayyyyy back in the day, he'd amused himself by seducing women. In fact, he knew that he excelled in it. It wasn't arrogance… it was the truth. But he never did it openly in public like Shunsui. He did it secret, which made his affairs even more pleasurable and erotic. Women opened up to him even more because he always had the sense never to tell anyone their secrets. Nor… did he be anything less than a gentleman. Being a passionate lover also was a plus.

He inhaled her scent again and found himself a bit dizzy from it. What was it about her scent that turned him on so much?

Night stifled a growl in annoyance. The man knew perfectly well what was wrong, and she knew it. "Please don't." She said shakily, trying again in vain to push him away.

She'd just as soon try pushing through a brick wall.

"Don't what?" He pressed gently, with a teasing smile. He suddenly had an impish idea and grazed his lips up to her ear. His tongue darted out and lapped at her lobe.

"Oh God…." She hissed through clenched teeth. How in Heaven's outhouse was she going to get out of this without tackling him like some fuck bunny?

"Yes?" He asked playfully, his voice seductive. He continued to explore her ear lobe languidly with his tongue.

Not getting the 'god complex' the man had, Night ignored his comment. Instead she closed her eyes and shivered. Desire was coursing through her veins and there was nothing she could do to stop it. If he didn't take the initiative soon, something very kinky and naughty would happen and he'd only have himself to blame. He really shouldn't tempt her. She was a sex deprived cat like human. And it wasn't like she hadn't told him to stop, right? Oh… she hadn't really, had she? She had said 'don't', and sometimes men took that as 'please take me I'm yours'.

"Please stop." Night breathed out, her hands weakly pushing up against his well defined chest.

"I'll stop, but only if you tell me what I want to know… and not try to run away." He withdrew his assault on her ear and looked deeply into her blue green eyes.

He asked softly, "Are we clear?"

"Yes." Night sighed in relief as Aizen let go of her and stepped away a few feet.

"Now… why are you here?" He asked pleasantly, though with a hard glint in his eye.

_Woa… this guy is very similar to a viper. One minute he's all seducing… then the next he's all powerful and dangerous. _Night rubbed her arms, wondering why they still tingled even without him touching her. "I honestly don't know. My friends and I had just wrapped up a demon hunt and then I… I… kind of… ummm…." She blushed and continued, "I went berserk."

"Demon hunt…. Why do you hunt them?" He asked softly, manifesting a tea cup in his hands with fresh hot tea. He gave it to her and she took it gladly. He did the same for himself and sipped the calming beverage.

"Why does anyone hunt things?" She answered with a flare of her arm. She then sent him a smile. "We hunt demons because we feed off of their spirit levels."

~v~

~vv~

"Ah… so your world knows about reiatsu?" Aizen thought for a moment as she nodded. "How interesting."

Ryu sighed softly as he sat down in front of the Espada. He mused over what was going on. He knew he was inside Stark's mind. But he wasn't quite sure how to get out. "Fuck… I want out of this place." He muttered. It wasn't that he didn't like Stark's company… quite the opposite. It was just that he wanted to be in familiar surroundings… with his friends.

"Dude, your thoughts are loud enough to wake the dead. Spill." Stark said softly, sitting down across from the teen.

Ryu rubbed his face and bit out, "I need to get out of here. I don't belong here."

"Awww… and I thought you enjoyed my company." Stark pouted… which looked totally ridiculous. Hell, it was worth a try though. Lilinette couldn't resist his puppy eyed look.

Ryu blushed and mumbled, "Look… it's not that. I mean, you seem to be a swell guy… but I need to get back to my body and my friends."

"There are four correct?" Stark asked softly, leaning forward slightly.

"Well yea… and who knows what'll happen if we are out of our bodies too long." Ryu said, sighing and scowling at the black floor.

Suddenly he felt arms around him. He stiffened and was about to let out a yelp, when Stark pulled the boy into his lap and nuzzled his neck. "Calm down, sunshine. We'll think of a way to get you out of here and back to your friends. Just… relax."

Ryu felt his body melt traitorously against the firm chest of Stark's. His scent was incredible. It was like a spicy aphrodisiac of the highest concentration. And when Stark nibbled his neck, the teen was done for. He moaned out, "Stark… I…"

"Shhh… just… relax." Stark shushed the teen, lazily licking the boy's neck and ear lobe.

Ryu let out a strangled moan, arching his back and hissing out, "Please….."

"Shhh… I know… I know…." Stark murmured as he reached up to tilt the boy's chin. Once he had it just right, he kissed Ryu, slowly, and sensually.

~v~

~vv~

Gin watched as several Arrancar and Espada helped move Aizen, Ulquiorra, Stark, and Grimmjow into the med lab. Since Szayel was no longer with them, Lindor had been found and trained. He was the new Eighth Espada. He wasn't as 'strange' as Szayel had been, but he still was a formidable foe and had a knack for healing. Kaname was talking with the doctor now, relaying the events that lead to the collapse of their leader and fellow Espada. He made no mention of Aizen's health or revelation. Gin figured that this was a good idea, even though the doctor probably already knew all about it. Still… it was good to keep this from getting out for the time being.

"Have there been any other intruders since Ulquiorra fell?" Lindor asked curiously, not being able to sense any other. He examined Aizen's body first, of course.

"One other, but it doesn't seem to know what it's doing." Kaname answered as he lounged by the door of the med lab.

"Ah… so it's still in the throne room, then?" Lindor asked.

"No. It followed us here, but nothing more." Kaname sighed softly.

Gin wondered why. The strange spiritual pressure entity was hovering beside him… as if it was observing everything. "Maybe its job is to just observe?"

Kaname turned to Gin and thought for a moment. That did sound plausible, but still. He wasn't so sure. "Maybe, but I wouldn't be so certain of that."

And then he noticed that the closest one to the entity was Gin, and he looked the former shinigami over. What was it that was preventing the entity to entering Gin's mind? It obviously was sticking to the fox like ex soul reaper like a lamb to its mother. Finally, he noticed that Gin's hand had never left his Zanpakuto's hilt. So… Shinzo was still waiting to be called. Something inside of him clicked as he looked at all the other fallen comrades.

"I think I know why it isn't doing anything." Kaname said slowly, looking over at Lindor.

"What is it?" Lindor asked softly.

"All the other times the entities have attacked one of us when our hands aren't anywhere near our Zanpakuto." He gestured to Gin. "He has not withdrawn his hand from Shinzo since the attacks happened. Shinzo is still aware and is ready to fight. Apparently, the entities can't enter their target's minds with a Zanpakuto aware. It makes sense." Kaname said as he touched Gin's hand that was attached to Shinzo.

Gin looked down at their connected hands and he sighed. Part of him was insanely curious about these entities… but part of him was still shinigami reflexive. Did he want something to connect to him? The doctor smiled and gave them thumbs up.

"Looks like the entities are actually harmless to their hosts. In fact… they are actually doing a bit of good for them. Look here." He pointed to his monitor showing all three hosts and their vitals. "Ulquiorra, Stark, and Grimmjow are experiencing high levels of endorphins that are strengthening their reserves… much higher than if they were actually sleeping. But Aizen is the one who is more amazing. Look at his levels."

Gin looked it over and smiled. "Our Aizen-sama is getting better."

"Yes. His condition is improving, and it looks like whatever it is that is in his mind… is healing his body slowly and renewing his nervous system. If it keeps up… Aizen could be completely cured of his illness." That just proved to Gin and Kaname that the doctor of course knew about Aizen's condition. "He told you about it too, right?"

"Yes… just this morning right before he collapsed. He didn't get a chance to say what he was dying from, though." Gin mused.

"King Aizen was suffering from –" Lindor was cut off by Kaname.

"The tissue around his brain has some sort of cancer, centered above his ocular nerves."

"Yes… how did you guess?" Lindor asked.

"Can't say it's surprising. Aizen's had so many headaches lately." Gin mentioned.

"Yes. I naturally assumed it was either cancer or a tumor by how he was acting strange lately." Kaname agreed.

In all the fuss, Gin leaned in to look more at the readings… and in so doing let go of his Zanpakuto. Before he could realize his mistake, the entity beside him attacked. Gin stiffened and gasped, eyes for once open in shock. Kaname shook his head and pulled his comrade onto a nearby lab table. Why was he not surprised?

"I wonder if there is any more of those entities." Kaname said softly, watching Gin promptly pass out. _Tche… the guy even smiles in his sleep. _"We wait. That's all we can do right now." He continued, straightening out Gin's uniform.

~v~

~vv~

Jade blinked, finding herself in a very strange forested area with a lake nearby. How peaceful… certainly more so than her own mind. But why had she been drawn to this man's mind? She vaguely remembered following Night through the wall of the warehouse and falling several feet down and then… nothing. Now she was here. From the smell of the place… and the feel of it… she was definitely in a man's mind.

"How curious. You look just like us." Gin spoke directly behind her, making her jump nearly a foot in the air.

Jade turned to look at the man who had just startled her nearly to death. Wow… this guy was very much like a fox. His eyes were closed for the most part and his mouth was spread into a long grin. She looked him over carefully, taking in the very bright white clothes that had black trim. He had grey silver hair that hung on his head limply… but not devoid of life. She wondered what his eye color was…. He obviously wasn't blind… his previous words described that he wasn't.

Gin took his time raking his almost closed eyes over her form. She was a bit short for his taste, but not too bad. She had a slender build with shoulder length red hair and vivid jade eyes. Pale complected, but not in a bad way. Overall… she was delectable. "I am Gin Ichimaru from Hueco Mundo, and you are?" He decided to take the forward kind approach. Kaname had said that they meant them no harm… so why not get as much information out of her as possible the nice way?

Jade trembled as his voice struck something deep inside of her that she'd thought had been hidden for years behind a wall of scars. She watched him come closer, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. If he was who she thought he was… she'd be a fool to let him get any closer. Still… something inside her wouldn't let her back away.

Gin stopped a foot away from her and asked again, "What is your name?"

Jade swallowed with difficulty. She wondered if the others had suffered similar fates. If so… then all of their bodies were somewhere out in this strange world with no protection. _Damn… what do I do? _She thought. Finally she answered him, "Jade Hollinger from the planet Nemrid. I came with four others. Where are they?"

He arched an eyebrow. Apparently this woman wasn't aware of where she was or how she got in his head. So… this was all a strange accident. Interesting. "Your friends are currently habiting four other comrades of mine. Since they aren't harming them for now, I have chosen to be kind to you."

Too bad she couldn't see his eyes. She always could see expressions in eyes to tell if anyone were telling her the truth or telling her a lie. "So… where are our bodies?"

Ichimaru's eyebrows shot up to his hairline at that one. He regarded the woman with opening his eyes a bit more. Those nearly crimson eyes captivated Jade as he asked, "So you all are not just spiritual entities?"

"No. Not at all. We have bodies just like you see here, but I think we were knocked out of them when we came to your world. I fear I must go so I can make sure we return to our physical bodies before time passes much longer. How long have my friends been inhabiting your comrades' minds?" Jade explained in a rush, thinking hard.

"Not even thirty minutes, I suppose. Though… the time we are spending here might have made that longer. I am not sure." Gin closed his eyes more, his face back into its fox like mask.

"Thank you, Gin." She looked around. _That's a relief. If they'd been out for more than two hours it would not be good._

"What is it?" Gin asked softly, though he probably already knew the answer.

Jade blushed slightly, "How do I get out of here?" _Dang… he smells good. He smells more exotic than my previous mate…._ No… she mustn't think of him like that.

"Hmmm… good question." Gin said softly with a bigger grin. Inhaling a long breath, he caught her scent. And suddenly he understood why Aizen had gotten so aroused by his own attacker. If that attacker smelled as good as this one did… then things might turn out much better than he thought.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Mind of Mates, Part 4**

**

* * *

**

Ulquiorra surveyed the other male as they both walked in the rain. He was very talkative, yet very lazy. But… at least he wasn't boring, trash though he was. He wondered if the others had similar beings to talk to. Finally the arrancar asked, "Do you at least know _how_ you got in my head?"

Max blinked. Ok… so he didn't know either. Great. "Well… I was hoping you would, but that's ok. I honestly don't know. One minute I was with four of my friends and we fell through this warehouse wall and fell into your world. After that, I blacked out. Now I'm here." _Shit… how can he smell so good? I'm in his mind for dragon butt's sake!_

_He is strange. _Ulquiorra thought. He didn't mind having someone to talk to… but he'd rather it be physically… not mentally. The Espada was known for being a very private person, and having to share his mind with some trash, no matter how interesting, was irritating and violating. Aloud he asked, "How long do you plan on being here?"

To the arrancar's dismay, Max said, "I have no idea. If I did, I'd tell you. But… one thing's for sure. If I don't know anything about this and you don't either… then we both probably don't know how to get back out of here either. So… that means I'll probably be in here for some time."

_Damn. _Ulquiorra wasn't one to curse… but sometimes the occasion definitely called for it. And this was one of those occasions.

"Hey, don't look so upset, Emerald." Max gave him a small sexy smile. "I can make my stay here more entertaining."

"Do I even want to know?" Ulquiorra was not impressed. He looked around, wishing he wasn't locked in his own mind with some strange sexy looking trash.

"Sure you mi-" Max was cut off by tripping over a large tree stump, located strangely right in the middle of the road. It caused him to fall into Ulquiorra, which made him stumble, but not fall. He was the fourth Espada after all, so he was much stronger than he looked. As he helped the man up, he caught the strange scent of him.

Out of curiosity or compulsion, he didn't know, but suddenly the arrancar found the human's lips to be all together too tempting. Max gasped as the clown like emo guy kissed him.

…

….

_Holy sweet Jesus… he's kissing me and I'm liking it! _Max let out a soft deep moan as Ulquiorra tentatively licked the seam of his lips. Parting his lips, Max deepened the kiss by tugging on Ulquiorra's tongue with his teeth. The arrancar closed his eyes and winced as deep painful desire took a trail right smack dab down to his groin.

Soon, both men were in a fit of kissing dominance. But… too soon it was to be realized that Max was the dominant of the two. Maybe that was because of his experience in kissing (women). Or maybe it was because for some strange reason, Ulquiorra wanted to be dominated. Either way, the arrancar gave into the dominance and let out soft moans as Max ground his sensitive arousal with his own.

And altogether soon, the kiss was ended. Max panted in soft huffs, while Ulquiorra let out full fledged gasps. How could anyone… especially trash like this human like creature be so mouth watering? He looked into the man's brown eyes and nearly got lost in them.

"See… I told you I'd be more entertaining." Max chuckled, flashing a full set of white teeth.

Ulquiorra regarded him silently for a moment, trying unsuccessfully to calm himself down to being his usual stoic self. Finally he agreed, "Yes… you did."

* * *

Grimmjow had a head lock on Lisa and he sniffed her hair a bit crassly. Still, it made said girl get even more horny. What the hell was going on? It wasn't like she was some mindless bitch to be taken by any man… so why was this rude, conceited, CAT turning her on so much just by smelling her hair? Lisa growled low in her throat and Grimmjow grinned even more.

"Nice. You growl like that more often and I might have to see how you taste." Grimmjow teased, rubbing his nose into her long silky blond hair.

Lisa tried yet again to get out of his grip, but to no avail. How had she let him get that close to her? She was training to be an assassin! Letting a brute like him catch her like this was embarrassing! Not only that, her body wasn't responding the way she wanted it to. IT WASN'T FAIR!

"You do and I'll castrate you, puss." She said through gritted teeth.

Grimmjow let out a huge gusty laugh, sending chills all over her body. He let her go and backed away a few feet. "I can see you are more of a Hell Cat than I thought."

"I'm a wolf, not a CAT, you perverted fleabag!" Lisa snarled before lunging at him with her spear.

"Really?" He asked, easily undermining her attack and taking her weapon from her. He grabbed her and pulled her up against his body. He looked into her vivid golden eyes and said in a purr, "You might be a wolf… but there is some cat in you. I know it. And… though you might not know it… your body does."

Before Lisa had time to argue, Grimmjow bent his head and captured her lips in a searing kiss that nearly made her toes curl. She tried vainly to struggle against him, but then she melted as he wrapped his arms around her, deepening the soul draining kiss.

His tongue lapped at her lips, parting them teasingly. She opened her mouth and let out a muffled moan as Grimmjow delved in with his very experienced tongue. As their tongues danced in an erotic mating action, Grimmjow growled and pulled her even tighter to him, grinding against her stomach with his growing arousal. She smelled so good… and tasted even better. At this moment, he wasn't so sure if he wanted her to leave.

His growl caused white hot desire to race through Lisa's veins making her wrap her arms around his shoulders. All thought was pushed from her emotionally charged mind and she kissed him back like there was no tomorrow. Pretty soon, they had to come up for air. Grimmjow broke the kiss first, breathing in soft gasps. He closed his eyes briefly as his body calmed slightly from the ultra high it was in from the earth shattering kiss. How did she get him nearly to climax just by a kiss? He wondered as he opened his eyes and looked down into hers.

The look on her face spoke that she might be wondering the same thing.

* * *

Nel and her friends looked down at the five dragon like creatures that had appeared over half an hour ago. "They still breathing?" She asked Dondochakka.

"Yea. They just don't have their souls in their bodies, ya know what I'm saying?" The large clown like arrancar said as he touched one girl's neck to find a pulse.

Peshe crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "What do we do with them?"

"Hey… I've got an idea!" Nel laughed and clapped her hands. Quickly she told her plan to her friends.

"Oh… so if we take them to our hide out, then when they do come back to their bodies and wake up, then we can have some fun? Like when Ichigo was here?" Peshe asked.

Nel nodded.

Dondochakka asked, "What if they are evil? Ya know what I'm saying? If they are bad then we might get eaten or something, ya know what I'm saying?"

Peshe nodded and looked at Nel.

She rolled her eyes. "If they are, then we'll just have to lead them to the sand monster!" She pleaded with her friends, "Pleasssseee? I want to have fun!"

Dondochakka thought for a moment before laughing, "Why not?"

Bawabawa was put to good use after that.

* * *

Aizen watched as the woman sipped her tea. She did it with impeccable manners. He was impressed. After speaking with her for near a quarter of an hour, he found out that she was a woman of accomplishments. He also found out that her home world was built for really only one purpose… to fight in wars. This world intrigued him to no end. He was aware that several worlds paralleled Hueco Mundo, but he'd never been fortunate enough to find one of the portals. And now… he had one from a different world in the palm of his hand.

Now… which move would he take?

Chess was an Earthen pass time that he enjoyed… just like drinking tea. Both soothed him and both invigorated his mind. There was another thing he found out… she had four other people with her that were just as accomplished, if not more than she was. Things seemed to be looking even more entertaining and interesting as time went by. And he was a very patient man.

He knew that he had very little time left to accomplish his goals… but maybe he could spare some more time with her. She was like a breath of fresh air. She had her own goals, her own unique thoughts… and she was attractive to him. Yet… something about her turned him on even more, though he still didn't know what it was. But… instead of that fact irritating him… it made him all the more interested and curious.

Inwardly he examined himself. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. And yet… something inside of him was slowly changing and…

It was for the better. He was sure of that. Could this woman be the key to that?

She was now asking him a question, so he listened in. "Is it ok if I go now?"

"What's your hurry?" He smiled slightly, giving his face an incredibly sexy look.

_Ah Hell… if he keeps doing that, I'll throw caution to the wind. Hell… I'm already doing that just by talking with him! We are having tea time in his mind! Yeah… that would go over well with the others. _She thought. She scanned the room carefully noting that the only way out was through that one particular door that was right behind him. _Crap. _

"I already told you that I'm out of my body. I need to find a way out of here so I can get back to it as soon as possible, please. If I don't, I'll die." She stated softly, trying to calm her heightened spike of arousal that his voice was causing her.

"What makes you think that the way out of here is through that door?" He asked softly and silkily, like a spider who caught an incredibly juicy bug in its web.

She gulped, feeling a bit desperate. "It's a door… and I can feel it. It's the way out." She then reminded him, "Plus, I don't think you'd have detained me from the door earlier if it wasn't the way out."

"Really?" He chuckled, the sound sending a chill down her spine.

_Bastard. This guy is good… but I can't chat much longer. _Finally she decided there was only one thing left to do. She bolted for the door.

Yeah… it was a stupid idea, but she didn't have any other choice. Before she could even reach the door, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her stomach from behind. _Shit._

"Are you afraid?" Aizen asked as he nuzzled her spiked hair. She smelled wonderful and his arousal was almost too great for him to keep ignoring it.

"Why should I be? Are you a scary person?" She returned with questions of her own. Turning in his arms she looked up into his sexy chocolate eyes.

"You should be scared." He bent his head, and before his lips touched hers he whispered huskily, "I am a VERY scary person."

As his lips covered hers, she nearly screamed with the vibrant sensations that were streaming through her body. Oh hell yes. This guy was powerful… and his spirit energy was through the roof. It was that, and his scent that had caused her to go bolting after him even through another dimension. She couldn't help it… she tackled him.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Mind of Mates, Part 5**

**

* * *

**

_As his lips covered hers, she nearly screamed with the vibrant sensations that were streaming through her body. Oh hell yes. This guy was powerful… and his spirit energy was through the roof. It was that, and his scent that had caused her to go bolting after him even through another dimension. She couldn't help it… she tackled him._

But… being a guy, though most of the time a cold hearted bastard, he didn't mind one bit. He let her press him up against one of his steel walls, ignoring the cold hard surface at his back. She moaned as he teased her lips with his tongue, the act sending fire through her veins. She opened her mouth and let out a husky cry as his tongue entered and explored her sweet cavern.

Oh… she tasted good… really good. In fact, he couldn't get enough of her taste. She smelled wonderful yes, but she tasted even better. Aizen felt like he was in Heaven, drinking in her nectar. And her husky moans and cries were making him so hard it hurt. He jerked his hips as a reflex, grinding her stomach with his heat. The contact of their bodies made him let out a guttural groan.

Night let out a husky purr as she felt his arousal. All this was because of his attraction to her. And… she could control it if she wanted to. But… she was so far gone that she really didn't care. All that was on her mind was the way his tongue felt mating with hers, and the taste of him. He felt so good, pressed up against her, and she managed to lift one knee, gently rubbing his thick arousal.

_Oh…sweet… _He thought as her knee caressed his sensitive heat. If she didn't stop… he'd lose control.

No.

No fucking way.

_Shit… she's taking my sanity away from me. _He let out a soft growl and broke the kiss sharply, banging his head on the wall. He gasped deep breaths, trying very hard to gain what shreds of his control that was left in him.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, his arms still wrapped around this incredible woman.

What was she doing to him? How was she doing it? He was Aizen! He wasn't just some stupid moron looking for a hooker. He was the damn king of the hollows and Espada. He shouldn't be so affected! He was stronger than this.

Plus… _he _seduced women. Women didn't seduce _him._

Night breathed in deeply, her nerves shattered all over the place. When he had broken the kiss so violently, she had dropped her knee, thinking that she had accidently overstepped her bounds. _Crap, what is wrong with me? _She snarled at herself. True, he was her mate, but she didn't have to act like a hormone controlled cat.

Well she was a bit horny.

And she was a cat.

But still.

She rested her head on his chest, trying to gather her thoughts, and at the same time trying to keep from going bonkers. He smelled so good, felt so good… and yet… she sensed he wasn't too happy. More like he was pissed… and a bit confused. _Just great, girlie. You just screwed up big time. _Her inner voice hollered at her.

_Shut up bitch. _She told herself sharply as she pulled away from the drop dead gorgeous guy.

She warily met his gaze and he looked at her with desire filled eyes… yet they were angry as well. She bit her lip and mumbled an apology.

He straightened himself, sweat dripping a bit down his face. He regarded her with vulnerable eyes… eyes full of emotion and full of fire. Yet… then he suddenly drew the walls up on his inner self, and those same eyes went cold as ice.

She blinked. _Crap._

Aizen came up to her and said softly into her ear, "Apology accepted. You may leave."

_Prick. _Her inner voice shouted. She squelched it with mental bare hands as she gave him a small smile of thanks and then raced to the door. She turned the knob, but it was locked. _Shit._

She looked over at Aizen, noticing that he was running his fingers through his hair in a very sexy gesture of insecurity. The man finally turned to her and whispered, 'open'. The door immediately came unlocked and she withdrew from his mind… a bit reluctantly… and a bit gladly.

* * *

Aizen's eyes snapped open as soon as the girl left his mind. He looked around, unalarmed. He was in the med lab, on a soft raised pallet. Kaname and Gin must have somehow got him there. He located both Generals, one was on a pallet across from him, and the other was staring through his visor at the diagnostics results. How the man could read those without much vision was always a mystery to him, but that was of little importance at the moment. He sat up and rubbed his face.

Kaname nodded at his leader, "The entity is gone sir."

"Yes… she is." He whispered, partly in wonder, partly in relief. But some small part of him was regretting that she had left. He sighed softly and put on his usual smirk and cold eyes. He waited while Lindor checked him over with a scanner. After that, the doctor nodded with a smile. "You are just fine, sir… and perhaps much better than you've been in quite some time."

Aizen understood his meaning and though it did bring some relief… it also brought confusion. How had the woman managed to heal him? He got up, finding that he did feel better. His mind was much clearer, and his body didn't feel so much like a sack of Zanpakutos. He also didn't have a headache. He looked down at the monitors for a minute, noting that not only Gin, but Grimmjow, Stark, and Ulquiorra were 'inhabited' as well. That means the girl had been telling the truth in that.

Kaname asked softly, "Was the entity something to be worried about sir?"

Aizen put a hand on Kaname's shoulder. He said softly, "Not now. Wait till the others wake. Then we all will discuss this."

"Yes Aizen-sama." Kaname nodded as his master left the lab.

Aizen looked out one of his large windows in his room, thoughts far away. Finally he said in a very foreboding voice, "You'll come to me soon… and then what will you do, young huntress?"

Stark moaned softly as Ryu opened his mouth, letting him entrance and submitting to his dominance. The wolf like Espada growled and pulled Ryu more against him, kissing him like there was no tomorrow. The wet heat essence of Ryu was exquisite… like the finest chocolate… or the finest liquor. He couldn't seem to get enough of it.

Ryu was thoroughly going through a mental fucking of his own, moaning and finally finding himself blessedly straddling Stark, grinding their hot erections together. Stark growled and playfully nipped Ryu's lower lip, tugging on the lip ring. Ryu mewled and gasped as Stark reached up to tweak his nipples through the fabric of his shirt.

Stark pulled away for a second, catching his breath. He chuckled softly. So the boy had his nipples pierced. How very brave… and fun. Stark nuzzled the boy's hair and calmly bit Ryu's ear, while at the same time twisting the shifter's pierced nipples through the shirt. Ryu moaned and let out a ragged groan as Stark arched his hips with a deep thrust, rubbing their cocks together.

"Please… Stark…." Ryu gasped out desperately, burying his face into the other man's soft brown hair.

Stark figured he was probably overwhelming his new pet too much. Still, he couldn't seem to stop. He licked the boy's ear and murmured, "Shhh… it feels good, doesn't it?"

When Stark thrust against the boy's hips again, Ryu let out a strangled scream, "Oh god yes!"

_What a beautiful submissive… and he's all mine. _Stark thought with an unusual streak of possessiveness.

And then Ryu let out a scream as he was forcibly yanked from Stark's mind. Stark pouted and turned to see one very unhappy Lilinette with her hands on her hips. "Fuckin' toad. If you wanted an orgy, just say so! You goddamn prick!"

* * *

Gin walked with the girl for several minutes, acting like he was looking for a way out of his mind. In truth, he really didn't know the way out. All he knew was that his mind was very odd, especially since his zanpakuto, Shinzo, wasn't anywhere around. Usually when he retreated to this place of solitude, his sword was there with him. But, he didn't mind having the strange girl with him now.

For some reason… she reminded him a bit of Rangiku. Though, Rangiku was hardly ever distressed, and almost always happy about something… usually booze. The similarities between the two women were very few and far between… but still. He couldn't help but feel relaxed and himself next to her.

Jade was a bit unpredictable and at the same time worried. Though she had a calm exterior, something inside her expressive eyes yielded more information than her voice could ever give.

And for one, he knew that Jade had been jaded in the past. Whether that past happening had been by accident or completely intentional, he didn't know.

Maybe that was why Rangiku and Jade had few similarities. Rangiku never let any guy mess with her… though he had been able to get under her skin more than a few times. But Gin had never really meant to do so. He valued Rangiku as a dear friend and was glad that he had never had to go up against her in the final battle of the war. If he had… he probably would not have survived.

But then again… he might have.

Izuru on the other hand was extremely fun to manipulate. He was going to go up against him in the final battle, but right before he had the chance, Aizen had called it off. And though he might not agree with Aizen's views… he never once questioned his judgment. If the king wanted to retreat and thought it best to regroup, then it was ok with him. He had often wondered however what it would have been like to fight Izuru… given the chance.

Gin sighed softly, though his mask was still in place. He missed Rangiku… the absence of her companionship was a pain that he had to bear. It had been so long since he'd seen any of the soul reaper elite. The last one he saw was none other than Captain Kuchki sixteen years ago… and the events that had unfolded were all together too ironic.

He pulled his thoughts out of the past and looked at the woman. She was staring at him and he arched an eyebrow.

"Are you alright?" Jade asked again, feeling a bit of concern.

The man had just stopped and stared out into the lake nearby, thoughts miles away. When he hadn't responded to her first question, she had gotten worried. His aura had projected sadness and regret, which made her wonder what his past was like.

Gin's smile slowly fell. _This little girl has a unique talent…. _He regarded her with half open eyes, captivating her eyes yet again. Strange… this had been the second time he'd shown his eyes to her in the space of ten minutes. He closed his eyes and a large smile returned to his face as he took in a big drag of air into his lungs. He finally turned back to her and laughed softly, "Of course I'm 'alright'." He then put a hand on her shoulder, nearly breaking his mask because of the electricity that shocked them both at the contact. He said softly in that creepy yet seductive voice of his, "I was just thinking that I am starting to wonder if I should let you go or not."

The lie was not lost on Jade. She didn't know how she knew he was lying… she just did. Still, she turned to him and said, "Do you want me to die?"

Gin pretended to think over the question. Finally he reached out and smoothed her hair away from her face. "Death… isn't such a bad thing, you know."

"To me it is." Jade disagreed. "What makes you say that?"

Gin chuckled softly, "I have enough experience to know."

_Is this guy joking? _Jade thought, but some part of her knew that he wasn't.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Waking Up**

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* * *

**

Ulquiorra looked up as the rain in his mental world let up. He arched an eyebrow. _That's strange. It always rains here. _He turned his eyes to his companion, who was casually jabbering about some nonsense.

The Espada broke in, "Your presence here is not just affecting me."

Max's smile faltered and he looked around, not bothered by the interruption. He was used to being interrupted. "Yeah… it's not raining anymore. I wonder why."

Ulquiorra pushed the man away from him. "Out of my head."

Max rolled his eyes. "Dude, if I knew how to get out, I'd have done it by now."

"I'm not so sure, trash." The arrancar sternly glared at the man.

"Woa… now I'm trash? That speaks volumes because you kissed me first and then you submitted to my dominance. What does that say about you?" Max teased, not tense in the least.

Ulquiorra bit his lip before saying, "Out now, before I kill you." And with that he drew his arrancar zanpakuto.

Max blinked as he was suddenly shoved not so nicely out of the man's head. And then… all was black.

* * *

Stark winced as he came awake. Damn, his head hurt. "Fuckin' bitch fraccion." He murmured, irritated and sore. Apparently he wasn't the only one awake. He stared at Ulquiorra, who looked as bad as he felt.

Ulquiorra rubbed his face as he sat up in the med lab. Oh, his head ached! Why did it ache so much? The doctor scanned him silently before giving him a sharp pat on the back… which earned him a glare. "You are both doing fine. The only thing I suggest to you next time… and there probably will be a next time… don't forcefully shove the entities out of your heads. It's probably why your brains feel like they are split in two."

"There won't be a next time." The fourth Espada promised as he stood up and rubbed his temples.

Stark smirked at him. "I wouldn't bet my life on that one, Schiffer. Now… mine… I wouldn't mind having in my brain for a while." He yawned boredly, looking over at the two remaining downed comrades.

"Is Lord Aizen well?" Ulquiorra changed the subject as he turned his gaze to the primera Espada.

"Yes. In fact, the creature healed some of his cancer." Lindor whispered.

Ulquiorra had the grace to look shocked. He said softly, "How… fortunate for him."

Lindor grinned. "But… here's the thing…. Aizen-sama didn't _force _the entity to leave his mind."

"What did he do?" The fourth Espada asked, his face put back into its emotionless mask.

"He _let_ it go." Stark slowly smiled, figuring it.

Lindor said, "That's all he'll tell us for now. He wanted to wait until the rest of ya are awake."

_Hmmm… was that trash lying to me then? _Ulquiorra didn't think so. Still… it was something to think about.

"As soon as you get cleaned up, go wait for the rest of us in the meeting room. Aizen wants to talk to everyone (The Espada) once General Gin and Grimmjow wake up." Lindor said softly.

Ulquiorra nodded as he and Stark left the lab. As they both branched away from one another, Ulquiorra walked down to the communal baths. He thought about the strange man. He had so many questions… but… they would soon be answered. He already had learned a bit about Aizen's 'visitor'. It was female… and he had known how to _let_ her get out of his head. He never shoved her out. That meant that Aizen knew his own mind much more than anyone ever thought. And… Aizen was in control of the doorways… which means that he might have even _let _the woman breach his barriers.

As he stripped and turned on the cold water, the fourth Espada turned his thoughts back to Max. The last phrase the man had said caught in his mind. _"Woa… now I'm trash? That speaks volumes because you kissed me first and then you submitted to my dominance. What does that say about you?"_ What irritated the arrancar the most was… that he was right. What did that say about him?

Ulquiorra shivered under the cold water, but not from the frigid temperature. It came from the heating in his groin.

He couldn't wait until the others woke. He needed to find out why he was feeling this way about a human. He needed to talk with Aizen-sama.

Finishing his shower, the fourth Espada dressed and made his way to the meeting room. He passed many 'new' arrancars and Espada on his way. He never spared them a glance. To him… they were worse trash than Grimmjow and Stark… which said something. Even the third and second Espada replacements didn't have the quality as their predecessors. At least… that's what he thought. But he was one to never question Aizen's motives or actions. So, he dealt with his disdain very carefully and secretly.

Stark went to his own rooms and stripped. He pointedly ignored Lilinette as she lay in her sword form on his bedside. It would teach her not to mess with his brain too much. Besides, jealousy never got you anywhere. Especially not in his eyes. He took his shower, sighing softly and thinking of the exotic fire haired male shifter. He had been… exquisite… and had been everything Stark was attracted to. He had fire in him, that Stark was aware of. But in his arms… he felt so submissive, so out of control. It was a total turn on….

* * *

Grimmjow woke up, rubbing his face. Damn, his head hurt! Why had the woman beat him to a pulp right after their kiss? Women were so confusing. He cursed a few explicit phrases before the doctor scanned him. "Looks like it's the same with you as with Ulquiorra. Please try not to force someone out of your head next time. It'll be less painful."

"What? That bastard had someone invade his mind too?" Grimmjow exclaimed. He then chuckled. Black Mail sounded so sweet.

"Yes, but unlike you, he only was under for forty five minutes. You've been under for more than an hour." Lindor smirked.

Grimmjow had the grace to look grumpy before he noticed one very important person missing. "Aizen-sama… how is he?"

"Just fine. He's even been healed a bit of cancer by that being. He'll tell all once Gin wakes up. You need to take a bath, you stink." Lindor wrinkled his nose. "After that, wait with number four Espada in the meeting room. Aizen will be there as soon as Gin's visitor has left the building." He usually didn't give orders to those above him, but he had to in this instance. Aizen had left him in charge when it came to relaying orders.

Grimmjow grumbled, but did as he was told. On his way out, he did utter a foul 'bastard' with a glare at the octava Espada. Lindor ignored the bad tempered cat and turned his attention to Gin. How long would he be under?

Grimmjow fumed as he went to the baths. Since when did he take orders from Lindor? The dude was getting a bit high and mighty just because Aizen liked him as a doctor. Usually he never had a problem with the doc, but damn… lately the bastard was irritating the Hell out of him. _Prick. _

Plus… the doc had it all wrong. He hadn't forced the bitch out of his head… she'd forced her way OUT. And boy did she pack a good right hook. He rubbed his head and stripped, turning on the ice cold water. He let out a hiss as the water stung his body. Damn… maybe he shouldn't have kissed her… but she had smelled so enticing and oh… the way her body had melted against his…. Great! Now he was getting hard just thinking about her.

He braced himself up against the tile, his head bent under the rain of water. He had to clear his head… and he had to do it now! And… Aizen-sama… he was getting better? He felt a bit of relief, yet at the same time he felt a bit jilted. Now that Aizen was a bit better, would he still want to hurry his hand at getting the Hogyoku recreated? Or… would he want to sit on his fat throne for another forty five years of sheer boredom?

Grimmjow was always one to have very little patience with things… this being one of those things. He wanted a new set of worlds to conquer… under Aizen's hand of course. He wasn't stupid. Rash and impatient, yes… but not stupid. He'd given that up when that fool Ichigo had whooped his fucking ass all those years ago. Oh… he had learned a very hard lesson that day. Never ever underestimate anyone and have respect for your opponent! Ok… maybe that was two lessons, but still. He usually tried to think before he acted.

But that had all stopped when Lisa had gotten into his head.

_Great… now I'm calling her by her first name. _Grimmjow growled and effectively banged his head on the tiled shower wall. Closing his eyes he sighed. Maybe it had been a good thing that she had busted out of his head like a raging banshee.

If she hadn't… would he have let her go?

* * *

Gin watched as Jade got more worried and very, very tense. Nothing he said seemed to reassure her that everything would turn out ok. True… it didn't help that he himself didn't know a way out of his mind.

_Crap… I've been out of my body for nearly an hour and a half. This is not good. _If something didn't happen soon, she'd be toast.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pull at her from the behind and before she could say anything, she was ripped out of Gin's mind. Kaname watched as the last entity was pulled forcefully from Gin's mind by his own Zanpakuto. Strange… apparently their Zanpakutos didn't like having someone just push them out of the way and take control. Shinzo was a very selfish sword.

_Hmf… mine's just as selfish. _Kaname thought as he watched Gin slowly come out of it.

"Now, that wasn't nice, Shinzo." Gin mumbled as he rubbed his aching head. He looked up and watched as the entity hovered for a moment, and then it disappeared through the wall. "She must have gone back to her body."

"So… these entities have bodies?" Kaname asked, watching as the doctor scanned the other General.

Gin smiled a true smile, "Yeah… and if they look as attractive as they do in their spiritual selves… then some of us might have to be a bit overprotective of them." He was meaning himself of course. He knew that now he had someone to talk to that was highly interesting, he wasn't going to give her up… at all.

"Are they coming back, then?" Lindor asked as he watched Gin walk out of the med lab.

The General casually laughed. "Of course they are, silly!" Then he said more softly, "They have to."

Kaname nodded, not surprised. "Gin… Lord Aizen wants to see us all as soon as you get cleaned up."

"Oh… so everyone else is awake?" Gin playfully looked around, even though he knew full well that his master and subordinates were gone. "In the usual place?"

"Yes." Kaname said as he himself brushed past the other General and left the med lab.

Things were so puzzling… but Kaname knew one thing for sure… peace wouldn't reign very well if those entities came there. Order would be a bit harder to obtain. But… he trusted Aizen… and if the man felt like having strange visitors to entertain himself, then so be it. He would just have to be more careful and on guard.

Gin skipped to his bedroom. As soon as he got there, he went to his bathroom and stripped. The Generals as well as Aizen had their own bathrooms. Stark had his own as well because it was a privilege given to the primera Espada for being just that.

Gin sighed softly, thankful that the personal bathrooms reserved for the Generals and the King had hot water. Something about Shinzo giving him a very cold shoulder made him want it scalding hot.

He knew Jade and her friends would come in their physical form for a visit… possibly a permanent visit. And Shinzo would have to get over it. The Zanpakuto sulked deep within Gin's mind.

_Like Hell I will. _The obsessive sword muttered.

Gin smiled even more. "You'll have to just deal with it, Shinzo." Then he opened his eyes fully and glared internally at his sword. "Any other action taken against the woman and I will take that as a challenge. Do I make myself clear?"

The sword sulked but mumbled a submissive yes.

* * *

_Please review! I love reviews! I hope you like it._


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Plan

* * *

Night rubbed her face as she watched all the others slowly wake up. They now were all stuck in their animal forms. How were they supposed to change back? Jade, she knew, had experience in this, but the woman was very dazed and very… very confused. Poor Ryu looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. Night looked over at the strange looking beings that had helped protect their bodies from danger.

One looked like a clown with an overly bad sense of style. Another looked like some sort of skinny purple beetle wearing not much clothing. And then there was a little girl… who had a really odd broken skull attached onto her head. And then there was a huge eyeless purple worm that had the biggest teeth she'd ever seen on one before. Did worms even have teeth?

She stretched and got all of the kinks out of her back. Damn… it felt good to be back in her physical body… but still. Her mate was still unmated, and his scent was much stronger now… as if he was closer than when they first 'landed' here. Maybe these creatures had them in a shelter near to where he lived?

_Damn… I feel like a huge semi ran over me… and then the prick backed up to make sure he finished the job! _Lisa grumbled, putting huge wolf like paws over her head. _Somebody kill me please? Just put me out of my fuckin' misery._

_Shut up, wuss. _Max yawned and stretched. His head hurt too, but not nearly as bad as when he'd been shoved unceremoniously out of Ulquiorra's mind. He looked around, taking in that his friends were ok and awake… then he noticed the weird circus additions.

He nodded in their direction, though he whispered mentally to Night. _Who are these guys?_

_I don't know. All I know is that they aren't demons. _Night went over and butted her head with Jade… the poor dragon looking like she'd had a fight with a team of bulls. _You ok?_

_I'll live… somehow. _Jade said as she stretched, turning her attention to the strange creatures.

Night then wandered over to Ryu, who was practically shaking. _Kid, you ok?_

_Yea…._ The teen sighed miserably.

_Dude… it's very rude to stare. _Max commented, rumbling his throat threateningly at their hosts.

"Wow… look how pretty their eyes are!" Nel exclaimed, jumping up and down and pointing.

Peshe put his hands on his hips. "Nel, stop pointing… that's rude!"

"I wonder if they can talk?" Dondochakka mused, looking at the actions the creatures were making. One looked similar to a hollow cat… though huge with wings. Another looked like a hollow dog with pointed ears and wings. The other two… he'd never seen anything like them before.

Night rolled her eyes. They weren't going to get answers from them soon, were they? She looked at Jade. _Do you know how we get back into our original forms?_

_Um… I think so. I think we have to be invited into your mate's home. After we pass the threshold, then we can turn back into our human forms. _She smiled apologetically. _That doesn't help things I know. We can only telepathically talk to ourselves and our mates after bonding… but not to them._

_Great… well this will be interesting. _Lisa grumbled and irritably looked at the odd creatures. _Why did we have to get saved by circus rejects?_

_Don't ask me. _Night huffed as she walked over to where Nel was sitting. She bent her head and sniffed the strange looking girl. Sneezing, she backed away. The kid had more spirit energy than a large demon!

Nel mumbled as she watched the big cat like creature walk away. "I think she's their leader."

"Yea. I think so too." Peshe nodded. "That makes them a family! How sweet."

Dondochakka laughed. "I know, right?"

Night lightly nipped at Lisa as the wolf was trying to take an annoyed swipe at the big fat clown like thing. _Stop it._

_What? They are very irritating. _Lisa grumbled as she stood and stretched her legs. _They're making my head ache more._

_Ditto. _Max agreed, rubbing his face with a big paw._ And something tells me that I'm going to miss my exam._

Ryu scowled and curled up in a ball near Night. Jade rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wondered if Lisa and Max were twins. She looked at their leader with a pitiful sympathetic expression. _Good luck._

_You have no idea. _Night huffed as she sat down on her haunches and regarded her friends. _Ok… before we get into what happened to all of us, I want to say one thing. I think that these guys… annoying or not, have protected our bodies with no knowledge of whom and what we are. Saying that, I think we should cut them a little slack._

She regarded her friends with the 'look' until each one agreed to be nice. _Ok… let's hear what you've all experienced. One at a time. Lisa, go first._

"I think they are having some sort of meeting." Nel said as she watched each one of the creatures.

"What do you think it's about?" Peshe asked.

"Probably to find out if we are edible, ya know what I'm saying?" Dondochakka said fearfully.

"No… I think they are discussing how they got here." Nel said.

"How'd you figure that?" Peshe asked.

* * *

Ironically enough, Grimmjow was the last person to get to the meeting. Looking around, he noticed that Aizen wasn't there, so he shrugged. He wasn't late then. Everyone else had assembled at the long table, some looking mildly intrigued, others looking bored out of their minds. Either way, when Aizen called for a meeting… you came, no matter how boring it was.

All of the other 'newer' Espada were in their seats, while Ulquiorra and Stark were standing. He followed their suit, knowing it was a 'dominance of power' action, even though he and Ulquiorra weren't the best of the Espada. The fact that Stark let them stand said something. Maybe there was hope for them after all.

He still had a bit of a headache, but not near as bad as it had been before. And then, their trinity came in with Aizen in the front, Kaname and Gin following close behind. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra waited until Stark sat down before they did. It was also a gesture of loyalty and acceptance.

Aizen sat down in his chair, followed by his Generals in their own chairs. He folded his hands and said softly, a small smirk on his handsome face, "I've called a meeting my dear Espada… because it looks like we are going to have some guests soon."

Grimmjow inwardly cringed at the 'my dear Espada', knowing that Aizen only said that to annoy everyone. Aizen continued, "But first… let us have some tea."

_Damn… it's as if he's assembled us all here to talk about the weather. _Grimmjow thought, but paid attention. He'd been caught way too many times in his day not doing so. And… though he was now a perfected Espada, he still had some scars as reminders not to slack off in meetings.

After a hesitant arrancar served them all tea, Aizen sipped his and let its calming effects do the trick. Finally, he said, "There are going to be five visitors this evening from a different world parallel to ours. These highly valued people are not to be harmed in any way, and should anyone have trouble following that rule… it won't be pleasant."

Grimmjow's translation: _These are his guests, so if you mess with them, you're dead. _

"They are also allowed free reign over the castle, so let them explore if they wish to." Aizen regarded everyone with a very stern eye, "Is that clear, my dear Espada?"

Yes sirs chorused out among the Espada. Their king smirked slightly, "Good. Now… on to some other business that we all need to discuss."

Again Grimmjow translated: _This subject is closed, any questions will be ignored and if you don't like it, kiss his ass. _

"Recently I have been able to perfect three Espada with the help of the Hogyoku. Have you noticed anything different from Stark, Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow?" Aizen asked, sipping some tea.

As everyone scrutinized said Espada, several caught on quick what was different. Some didn't until a full minute had passed. _That proves my point that some of these useless trash should be disposed of. _Ulquiorra thought as he dispassionately looked at some of the slower Espada.

"Wait a second! They have no masks!" One such Espada exclaimed.

"Correct, tenth Espada Cyrus." Aizen chuckled, amused. "Therefore, these Espada are now to be known as zero class."

There were several murmurs going throughout the Espada. The last Espada to be of zero class was Yammy… and he had been the tenth. Did that make them second only to Aizen and the Generals? Stark they could see… he was the first Espada… but Grimmjow and Ulquiorra?

"They are to be treated as Generals by anyone not myself, General Tousen, and General Ichimaru. Is that clear?" Aizen asked, once again giving his Espada hard looks.

Yes sirs could be heard from everyone. Grimmjow grinned. _It's about time we get bumped up to a higher class than these assholes. _

Ulquiorra hid his surprise successfully as his thoughts raced. So… this means that he, Grimmjow, and Stark were now of a class that could control Espada. It made him feel a bit elated… and at the same time confused. Had their powers grown that much since the taking off of their masks?

_Man… these Espada are pussies. They don't even stand up to their own ranks. Ah well… more fun for me, I guess. _Grimmjow thought as he continued to grin.

Stark looked bored as always. He really wasn't surprised. Aizen had spoke with him earlier in the hall about this. What he wanted to know was when the meeting was going to be over. After that, then Aizen would probably talk to the 'zeros' and the two Generals about what happened earlier that day. He seriously hoped he wouldn't have to be kept long from his fraccion and his bed. Although he was still annoyed with Lilinette, he still needed to speak with her.

_Stark… you are a jackass. _Lilinette mumbled in the back of his mind.

_Your point? _Stark yawned.

* * *

_So… what you're saying is that all of us somehow got kicked out of our bodies because our mates were nearby? Why couldn't we sense them… like you, Night? _Lisa asked, feeling a bit shocked.

_Maybe it's because my mate is very well endowed when it comes to his power? _Night suggested, not offended in the least.

_That's true. I can sense it now, even though we are farther away than I expected. _Jade said, sniffing the air.

Nel and her group of friends had led everyone out of their hide out. Each one of the strange circus like creatures had introduced themselves. Night and her friends had drawn their names in the sand with either claws, crystallized sticks, or noses. Nel was now on the back of Night, laughing insanely about nothing in particular.

Her wings were folded flat on her back behind Nel's tiny figure. The girl was adorable, like a cub… but man did she have a killer grip on Night's mane. Dondochakka and Peshe had been happy to ride Bawabawa instead of attempting to persuade Lisa, Max, Ryu, or Jade.

Those four seemed to have low tolerance for that sort of thing. Night shivered as she caught a really good whiff of her mate's scent. You'd think he'd be a lot closer with the way he smelled from out here. She looked at the great palace like building far in the distance. Lisa was right… he was farther away than she thought.

_Can you smell your mates now? _Night asked the others.

Max sniffed the air and sneezed. _No… I only smell your dude. Crap, no wonder you went berserk when you first smelled him. If my mate had a strong scent like that, I'd go bolting off after him too._

_Your mate must be very… very strong. _Jade said as she too sniffed the air. _He's blocking out my mate's scent as well… but not by much. I can just barely scent his presence in that big palace. _

_Then your mate must be strong too. Cause, I can't smell the cat for nothing. _Ever since Lisa had found out Grimmjow was her mate, she'd refused to call him that. He was a cat, and cats were inferior to wolves… Night excluded of course.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Journey to Las Noches

* * *

Ryu was trailing a bit, but he seemed more brooding than usual. Ryu caught Lisa watching him like a hawk and he glowered. Hell, it wasn't his fault he was the youngest and the most vulnerable of them all. The dragon then looked away. Lisa regarded him for a minute, and finally she said, _It's not your fault, kid. Just relax._

Ryu's eyes widened and he swerved to look at her, totally words coming from Stark had been wayyyyy too arousing. He gulped and muttered_. Just.. just… don't go there, ok?_

Lisa slowly grinned impishly. Maybe things were turning out better than she had thought.

_What makes you calmer now, Night? _Max asked, following their leader across the strange sands at a walk. No point in exerting oneself if possible. Water didn't seem to be in abundance in this desolate world.

Night sighed and thought for a moment. Finally she answered, _He's currently not thinking about me._

_Woa… so you can sense it when he's thinking about you? Damn. _Lisa was impressed. Even Ryu paused in thought.

_It was like that with my previous mate. _Jade sighed. _But… this new mate… he seems to have an iron thick skull. Either that or he doesn't want me to know he's thinking about me._

_That makes you wonder doesn't it? Why would your mate Aizen let you know when he's thinking about you? _Max asked.

Night shrugged. _Maybe he knows that if he does… I'll know and I'll come to him sooner?_

_Sounds like a load of bull, but I understand. _Lisa commented half heartedly.

_Well… it's either that or he doesn't know his affect on me. _Night yawned, showing long rows of sharp teeth.

The action startled Bawabawa a little, but after a few calming words from Peshe and Dondochakka, the worm calmed down.

Finally they stopped to rest. Nel babbled on and on about some odd Ichigo guy and his friends while everyone sat looking at the big palace that didn't seem to be getting closer.

Night panted softly in huffs as she gently displaced the arrancar from her back onto the sands with her teeth. The little girl didn't seem to notice and kept babbling. It must be a normal thing for Nel to babble on and on, Night discerned as she looked over at the other two arrancars. Those two were ignoring Nel… or humoring her, one of the two.

Lisa finally got fed up and stormed off in the direction of the great palace. Max, Jade, and Ryu soon followed her. Night rolled her eyes and head butted the jabbering child. Nel squeaked out of her tirade and noticed that everyone except her and Night had left already.

"Awww… that wasn't nice." Nel grouched as she got up and chased after Bawabawa.

Night suddenly got an even stronger whiff of her mate and she shivered. That man had way too much power over her… and she wondered if he even realized it.

Without stopping, she gently plucked Nel off the sands and onto Bawabawa. Nel laughed her thanks as she cuddled up with her 'brothers'. Looking around, Night noticed that they weren't alone anymore.

Lisa, Max, Ryu, and Jade also took note of this.

Whatever it was that was nearby had a bit higher spiritual pressure than Nel. And… it was hiding in wait… perhaps to attack.

* * *

Gin watched Aizen through slit eyes. All of the lesser Espada had left… including the doctor. Closing the door behind the last one, Tosen kido'd a sound barrier so no one outside would be able to hear them talk. Aizen was sitting in his chair, still sipping his tea. The man looked… a bit amused, but that was a good thing.

Gin hadn't seen his king happy since the war. The war had put Aizen and the rest of them in their element. Ever since it had been put at a draw, Aizen put on more of a façade than he usually did. And… Gin was grateful to the intruders at putting his king in such a good mood. Hell… he'd be in a good mood too if he'd been almost rid of an incurable disease.

But… he was almost always in a good mood, so that wasn't really the point, was it? Gin watched as Kaname snapped his fingers, displaying a bit more light in the otherwise dim lit room.

"Thank you Kaname." Aizen said softly, and sipped more of his tea until the dark skinned man sat down.

"Now… we can get down to serious matters." He began.

Grimmjow translated: _Now that the pathetic idiots are put to their jobs, we can talk about why we had mental WWF smack down in our minds. _In one of his odd jobs in scouting in the world of the living, Grimmjow had come across television and its addiction. That particular show had captivated not only him, but Yammy as well. Ulquiorra thought it was a meaningless pastime to sit there and watch a box for hours on end.

Stark managed to look more attentive than usual, as he sat up and folded his arms across his chest. Aizen nodded to Gin. "Go ahead and tell about your encounter with the intruder."

Gin smiled and told everyone about Jade and what happened. He conveniently forgot to mention his attraction to her, as well as some of feelings he'd felt when Shinzo had butted in and shoved the girl out of his mind. Everything else he told.

Aizen smiled slightly, knowing full well that Gin was omitting information. But… that was ok. He knew Gin would come around eventually. He was very good at gathering information at a need to know basis. Next was Ulquiorra's turn.

Ulquiorra left out his own attraction to the strange male… and the whole scene about him kissing and submitting to that trash. Stark then went on to say that his male had been strange, but amusing. He conveniently left out the fact that he'd wanted to screw the boy's brains out. Grimmjow was next and he had no qualms about telling everyone EVERYTHING.

_Shit, does the fool know any decency? _Ulquiorra thought, giving the blue haired man a stern glare. Stark even looked disgusted.

Gin's smile grew into a full grin as Grimmjow told them about how he'd kissed the girl and felt like fucking her. Aizen's amused smile grew as he listened to the sixth Espada's feelings of lust.

"And then the bitch…" He was broken off by Tosen gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough." Tosen said firmly, before returning to his seat. He'd got up (force of habit) and paced while everyone had told their story.

Grimmjow nodded, though he glared at the General. He finally ended his tale by stating how the female broke out of his mind.

Gin coughed to cover his laughter. "Well, Grimmy… looks like you couldn't seem to keep your hands off of the woman."

Tosen added to that thought, "It must have bruised your enormous ego in having a woman force herself out of your thick skull."

Grimmjow bit back a retort. Aizen had been schooling him in the art of 'not biting back until absolutely necessary'. Though… he wished right then and there that he could have given the Generals a piece of his mind. He sulked as Aizen explained his own experience with everyone.

To everyone's surprise, Aizen did mention that he was very attracted to the woman, and that he wouldn't mind progressing their 'relationship'.

_Damn… he's making it sound like he's in a soap opera. What a joke. _Grimmjow yawned hugely.

"Such insolence. Cover your mouth when you yawn." Kaname hissed.

Grimmjow ignored him and turned his attention back to his King.

Aizen covertly omitted certain facts of an intimate nature as he continued his story. Finally he ended with, "I let her go, feeling that her death wasn't in our best interest."

_What he means is that he liked her. _Grimmjow thought.

"Aizen-sama… how do you know that they will come tonight?" Ulquiorra asked softly.

"Hey… that is a good question." Gin agreed.

Aizen gave them all a bigger amused smile, almost like a cat that just cornered a canary. "I have my sources."

_Meaning that he ain't gonna tell us. _Grimmy rubbed his face with the palm of his left hand. "So… how long do you think?"

Aizen sipped the last of his tea. "Three hours… maybe less."

"Right… what do you want us to do with them once they get here?" Grimmy asked, voicing unknowingly everyone's thoughts.

"Let them feel right at home…." Their King put his cup down with a gentle klink. "For now."

Stark, Ulquiorra, and Grimmy blanched slightly, shocked. Now that phrase had sent chills through everyone, including the Generals. Grimmjow suddenly didn't feel so good. Nor did Ulquiorra. Stark was just as surprised.

Gin's mouth twisted into a bigger grin, "Aizen-sama… I'm glad I'm not on your bad side."

_No kidding. _Even Kaname agreed. Apparently Aizen had thought out a very in depth plan. Kaname even was starting to feel a bit sorry for the woman who had dared to enter their lord's mind. He mentally shook his head. Everything would be explained in due time.

Aizen full out grinned, something that he hadn't done since the war. "Now why would you think that?"

* * *

Night suddenly stopped, gagging. _Woa, girl, you ok? _Lisa asked, brushing up against her friend. Nel and the others turned their attention to the dry heaving cat dragon. "Awww… is Nighty sick?" Nel asked, feeling sorry for her.

Peshe and Dondochakka looked at one another but silently agreed not to say anything. Max nosed his way to Night's side and butted his head up against the furry winged cat. _What's wrong?_

_I think she needs water._ Lisa said, looking around. They all needed water. And… it seems like there was not any around. Yes, they fed off of spirit particles, but they were still human and needed liquids to keep them going.

Night shook her head and again gagged. _No… I think it's something else. _Jade commented, looking straight ahead of them.

All of a sudden, they all smelled it. It was the most foul rotten stench that they'd ever smelt. _Damn, what is that? _Max gasped and snorted. Ryu buried his nose with his talons and moaned at how horrible the smell was.

_I dunno… but whatever it is, it reeks! _Lisa sneezed several times.

Jade closed her nostrils and conserved her breathing by breathing out of the gill like flaps at the back of her neck. _It smells almost like a demon skunk._

_Yeah… but it's much (cough) worse. _Night gagged yet again.

Nel finally caught the smell of the nasty arrancar nearby. "Oh… you are probably smelling the spores that Nachie makes up."

* * *

_~I should have the next chapter up sometime tomorrow. Thank you again for your reviews!~_


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Journey to Las Noches, Part Two

* * *

_Who the Hell is Nachie? _Max asked not anyone in particular.

Dondochakka nodded and explained to the obviously affected creatures, "Nachie is a big, harmless arrancar that hangs out with us sometimes. He likes Bawabawa, you know what I'm saying?"

The worm in turn had the grace to blush… though it was a bit hard to tell on his purple skin. Peshe murmured to Dondochakka and Nel, "Maybe they are allergic to him?"

"Awww… that'd be no fun." Nel complained. Finally she shrugged. "Then we'll have to do something about that. You all are heading to Las Noches, right?"

Jade gave the arrancar a strange look. Then Nel explained, "The big palace we were all heading to is called Las Noches! King Aizen-sama and his Espada live there."

Night's head snapped up at the mention of Aizen. _King?_

_Damn… looks like you got yourself some royalty, babe. _Lisa giggled mentally.

_Then… our mates must be Espada? _Max assumed with a cough.

Jade shrugged. _Who knows? _

_Can you still smell him over that stench? _Max asked Night.

_A little… but it's hard to…. _Night gagged again.

_Oh… that could be a bit of a problem. _Max patted her back with a paw in sympathy.

_No kidding. _Lisa smirked. It was really hard breathing with that awful smell. Ryu finally flamed through his nose a bit so he could smell fire, not that stench.

Jade turned her attention back to Nel and nodded. Nel smiled, "I thought so! You guys are like Ichigo in that way. Well… we'll lead our friend off and you guys can go on ahead. We'll catch up with you after we deal with Nachie."

Jade nodded and helped her friends start walking away from the stench. Nel and her friends headed in a different direction, away from Las Noches, calling out for Nachie.

Soon, Night's senses were cleared and she sensed somehow that her mate was thinking of her. She trembled and took off at a fast paced run, for once not stopped by anything. Her friends ran alongside her, though eventually everyone but her took flight. Night didn't mind using her wings but if she could run, she liked doing so instead of flying. His scent was getting stronger and… she let out a yelp.

_Come to me… young Huntress. _She could clearly hear his voice in her head and it caused her to run even faster, desperate to get to her mate. He was calling to her… and she didn't question why or how that was possible. All she knew was that she had to get to him soon.

Lisa looked down at her friend and flapped her wings a few times to keep up. She mentally asked Max, _What caused her to look like the Devil himself is chasing after her?_

Jade answered simply on her other side, _He must be calling to her._

_Calling? _Max questioned, but they all understood. _He must be a very powerful dude to even do that unmated and unbound. _

_Yea no kidding. _Ryu flamed out.

His friends nodded as they continued the fast pace of Night.

Soon, Night was at such a speed that she was barely recognized as a blur across the desert wasteland. Soon, however, she had to take flight as a huge sand monster came out of the ground. She took a huge leap in the air and slashed the thing's head as she went by.

"You won't defeat me!" It's voiced boomed behind her as she and her comrades raced through the air to Las Noches.

_To Hell with this shit! _Lisa growled as she turned and howled, the eerie sound echoing everywhere and effectively stunning the monster. It shook his head to get the ringing out of his head. Lisa let out another howl for good measure and then turned and sped up to catch her friends.

_Thanks Lisa. _Night mumbled as she flew in a blur, picking up several kilometers with each thrust of her wings.

_Don't mention it babe. _Lisa grinned wolfishly.

* * *

Aizen turned from looking out of his window. The meeting had concluded an hour before and he had gotten the strange notion to find out where she was. Night wasn't far now, he was sure of it. And… he could sense her friends' enormous spiritual pressures. It made him all the more curious. When Night had been in his mind, he never sensed her reitsu.

So many questions for her to answer… but all in due time. He had way more time now because of her healing. At her break neck speed in coming to him he figured that his mental 'talk' had reached her. It had been an experiment to see if she could actually sense his mind and his thoughts. If so… then she could be a danger to him. But… maybe he could use that to his advantage. She had unknowingly healed part of his cancer, hadn't she? At least… that's what he assumed. She may have known about healing him… but something about the way she had acted in his thoughts suggested otherwise.

Either way… she would soon be here. And then… his plans would be put into motion.

* * *

An hour later, Night landed on all four feet as she reached the main entrance of the great Palace. _Dayum… and he's the king of all this? _

Lisa hit the ground next to her, not really known for her graceful landings. She breathed in through her mouth as she looked at the immense structure of Las Noches. _Talk about striking gold, hon._

Night nodded and sneezed. His scent was so strong that it was nearly kicking her wits out of her head. At least he wasn't still thinking about her, but she didn't know how long that would last. Both girls were startled as Max came bulldozing right past them. Apparently his landing hadn't been practiced either.

The grey snow dragon hit a column with a bang, nearly shaking everything in a twenty mile radius. Night shook her head. _Max… you have got to start practicing your landing skills._

_Wha? _The dragon shook his head, trying to clear it. Why did landing always hurt for him? Ryu landed carefully to the ground and stepped over to sniff the other male.

_Never mind. Where is Jade? _Lisa helped him up and brushed off his fur.

Jade soon answered the question herself as she appeared with Bawabawa, Nel, Dondochakka, and Peshe in tow. _I found them trying to catch up with us a few miles back. Bawabawa is a fast… sand worm._

Bawabawa let out a groan and flopped onto his belly, exhausted. Nel patted his back. "Thanks Bawabawa!"

Lisa, Max, Ryu, and Night shared knowing looks. They had hoped that the arrancars hadn't followed them here. But… what was done was done. So… best make the most of it.

Jade looked around, spotting where Max had crash landed. _Well… at least we know they know we are here._

_Yea… maybe we should knock? _Lisa asked sarcastically.

Night took in a deep breath and smiled. She turned to her friends, _We won't have to. They are coming to us._

_Thank God. My reserves are about shot. _Max yawned largely. Ryu agreed whole heartedly. He shivered slightly and flapped his wings to get the kinks out of them. He was bone tired.

_What reserves? _Lisa teased. And then suddenly… she could smell her own mate. _Well… it's good to know that Grimmy's here too._

_Grimmy? _Jade questioned.

_The cat. _She would not admit he was her mate… not just yet. Lisa firmly closed the subject.

Her friends took note and let it go. Jade covered her face with her wings. _Let me know when it's safe to come out. I can smell Gin too._

_Jade, sweetie…. _Lisa gently pried her friend's wings back from her face. _You look beautiful. And if he can't recognize that then he's not worthy of you._

_Exactly. _Everyone agreed.

Ryu panted softly as he caught the scent of Stark. _Oh man… I can smell mine too… he smells so good!_

Max sniffed the air as he favored a sore paw. Apparently the crash land had done a bit of damage to himself too. _I can smell Emerald too._

_Emerald? _Night questioned, but was broke off as the great big doors to the palace opened.

* * *

~Sorry peeps for not updating in forever! RL is hammering me into the ground. Thank you by the way for all of your wonderful reviews! And don't worry, even though this chapter is short, I am posting chapter 10 in a few minutes. XD~


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Guests of Las Noches**

* * *

Behind those doors was the Espada… and behind them were Gin, Aizen, and Kaname.

The lesser Espada stood in two lines, making a path for Aizen, the Generals, and the zero class. All Espada including the zero class looked curiously at the visitors. Aizen, Gin, and Kaname did as well, though more discretely. Aizen approached the group of visitors first.

Ulquiorra looked at the group with contained interest. He smelled the air and could pick out individual scents. The one that was familiar and arousing was coming from the grey fluffy dragon like creature, which was staring at him with very expressive brown eyes. That must have been the man who had invaded his mind!

Max had to keep his mouth from falling open at how stunning his mate looked in real life. For one thing… it wasn't raining, so his alabaster skin was brighter and had better complexion. His other friends were having similar difficulties. Lisa was just about drooling at her 'cat'. Grimmjow had brushed his hair… unsuccessfully taming it, mind you. And he had bathed. His vivid blue eyes surveyed every creature… but his eyes kept returning to the wolf like dragon creature. He sniffed lightly and caught the female creature's scent. His eyes slightly widened and a slow grin formed on his face. It was her. The wolf dragon thing was Lisa.

He was sure of it. But… how did they end up in this form? He was puzzled, not recalling Lisa saying anything about another form. Ha… he really hadn't given her a chance to say much. Stark spotted the smaller demon dragon and sniffed the air. The wolf inside him wanted to howl in ecstasy. Yes… this one was Ryu… little Ryu. The teen caught his gaze and blushed… well… as much as a demon dragon could. Kaname surveyed the creatures through his visor, curious in spite of himself. He wondered which one had sparked Aizen's interest so much. He was soon to find out.

Gin was interested in the bashful acting red dragon that kept looking at him with those vivid jade eyes he had come to know in the past day. She was so cute! He, like Grimmjow and the others were very curious and puzzled about their appearances, but Jade definitely was the red dragon. He even could smell her unique scent that attracted him to no end. Jade shyly looked the man over, noting that he looked better outside of his mind than inside. His skin wasn't so pale, and his hair had all different kinds of silver and white in it. He still had his fox mask on, but she didn't mind that so much.

Quickly tearing their eyes off of the group, everyone paid attention to King Aizen as he walked down the steps gracefully to the visitors. Gin and Kaname followed, though Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Stark did not. It would be rude of any Espada, zero class or not to meet the guests until after the Generals and the King met with them first.

Nel and her friends had hastily gotten away from Aizen and his followers. They watched from the side a few feet away as Aizen came to stop in front of Night. The cat like dragon leaned in, her wild blue hair frizzed and flitting through the small desert breeze. She smelled Aizen warily, not sure if she should trust his friendly manner. When she had left his mind earlier, she had thought he had been mad at her… but to see him now…. It looked like he wasn't in the least bit angry. And that's what made her wary.

Aizen let the cat like creature smell him, knowing from first sight that this was the same girl that had breached his mental defenses. She was beautiful… and very colorful. Long navy blue tiger striped tattoos reigned over her black furry body. Her hair was as bright blue as Grimmjow's when he was in his released form. It was much longer though, and looked better on her. Large blue green eyes studied him carefully with a sense of caution.

_Good girl. _Aizen thought, feeling a bit amused that the woman wasn't a fool to trust him so easily.

He always had been attracted to smart women. They were more entertaining to manipulate. They posed as a bigger challenge. Aizen watched as her wings slightly unfolded to reveal black and blue furry appendages. He pushed back the urge to touch one, knowing that he shouldn't yet.

He had to gain her trust first. He ignored the gasps of the other Espada as the cat dragon let out a loud roar, nearly deafening his ears and almost putting his hair into a permanent flat look. She huffed softly and glared at him for five very long minutes, and when Aizen still didn't show any reaction, the cat relented.

She turned to her friends and let out another bellow, causing Bawabawa and the other outside arrancars to cringe. These creatures must be big on body language… or maybe they are doing this for his and his people's sake? Aizen and the others watched as lazily, the large grey male dragon in the group stood up and bellowed back in answer.

That was followed by the red dragon bellowing, the demonic dragon bellowing, and the last… the wolf dragon bellowing. The cat huffed softly and turned her attention back to Aizen. She stretched out her wings farther and 'bowed' to Aizen on one knee and three paws. Her head bowed submissively grazing the sandy floor, she… and soon her friends, all offered their allegiance to a man they only knew of as being Night's mate.

Aizen smiled a true sexy smile as he watched things unfold. She still didn't trust him… that he was sure of. Yet… she was willing to submit to him. And her friends expressed deep loyalty and trust by doing the same. He reached out and gently stroked a long strand of her blue mane, loving how silky and soft it was.

He withdrew his hand, feeling elated. Oh… he knew that if he made one false move, she… or one of her friends would kill him. There was no doubt on that issue. He would have to make his moves carefully on the chessboard in order to get her to fully trust him. And even then… she'd have to be treated with the utmost care.

True… he never thought that Night was a shifter… a being who could change forms easily, but it definitely was an added plus. He moved around Night's cat dragon form, taking in her beautiful traits. He gently ran his fingers across her back, between her wings, which caused her to purr softly.

_Looks like Aizen-sama has himself a little pussy cat. _Gin thought as he watched his king look over the 'goods'.

Grimmjow trembled in spite of himself. If Aizen-sama ever did that to him… he'd have more than just a servant Espada… he'd have an attention deprived cat asking… no… begging for more. He bit his lip and looked elsewhere. It was really innerving seeing a cat be touched like that by Aizen-sama. And… unfortunately it was turning him on against his will.

Ulquiorra watched dispassionately as usual, though he turned his attention to the male grey fluffy dragon creature. And then the dragon sensed his gaze and caught it with his own. The dragon seemed to smirk at him with humor as Ulquiorra quickly looked away.

_He's nothing but useless trash. _And yet… he couldn't help feeling that he was even worse.

Aizen gently trailed his fingers on one vulnerable wing, causing its owner to shudder but not from fright or pain. _She's so sensitive… I'll have to remember that. _Aizen thought as he came back to stand in front of her. He gently touched her muzzle and she lifted her head to gaze into his eyes. All of her friends rose with her, wondering what would happen next.

And then… Aizen did something that he'd never ever done in his entire life. He bowed to one knee in front of the dragon and offered his sword. Gin and Kaname, though surprised weren't stupid. They also bowed, but not as low as their leader. Taking the initiative, Stark bellowed out, "All Espada, bow!" And everyone did… including Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

Night huffed softly and sat on her haunches. She reached out with one oversized paw and set it on the girth of Aizen's sword. The sword itself was giving off tons of reitsu, but she wasn't to be dissuaded. She brushed her face against Aizen's and withdrew in thanks.

Aizen stood up and put his Zanpakuto back where it belonged. He motioned for everyone else to get up. He then gestured to his palace. "I am King Aizen of Hueco Mundo. My servants and I bid you welcome to our palace, Las Noches. May your stay here be enjoyable."

_Wow, girlie. You picked a charmer. _Lisa huffed softly as she moved to flank her friend.

_Right. I couldn't have done it better if I'd been king. _Max proclaimed as he took his friend's flank on her other side.

Jade and Ryu brought up the rear and waved goodbye to their little arrancar friends. Nel waved goodbye, sniffing a little. Now her new friends were gone. She whined a bit, but sighed and left with Bawabawa, Dondochakka, and Peshe. Night looked back at them and gave them an apologetic smile… if one could tell from her cat form. _I feel kind of bad leaving them._

_This place isn't for them. _Lisa said firmly, and everyone else agreed.

_Still… maybe someday we'll see them again. _Jade said as she followed her four friends into the large doors of Las Noches… right behind King Aizen and his followers.

_This is soooo much a trap. _Lisa commented.

_We got ya. _Night replied. Plus, Night really didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Her mate was still unmated and unbound. That meant that she would stay with him until he chose whether to mate and bond with her, or reject her. Either way, she felt like she and her friends would be here for a very long time.

_I guess this means we aren't going back any time soon. _Max put his two cents in.

_Duh. _Jade snarked playfully.

Night turned to look at him. _You ok with this?_

_Yeah… I'm ok with this. _Max reassured her. _Besides… I've got an attractive mate myself to attend to._

_Oh brother… we've created a monster. _Lisa rolled her eyes good naturedly. Ryu glanced at the long brown haired man that was to be his mate and trembled slightly. He smelled even better out in the real world.

As soon as Night stepped over the threshold of the great hall of Las Noches, she felt her body change into her human form. The others did the same. Aizen and his followers noticed the change, but didn't comment. Instead, the King took Ulquiorra aside. "This is my fourth Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer. He will take you to your rooms to freshen up and then show you on a tour. I will meet with you all at dinner in two hours. It will be then that I will introduce my subordinates to you."

Ulquiorra spoke, "Follow me." He turned and led the tired group away. Night hesitated for a moment before turning and following them.

As Aizen turned away from her, he smiled secretively. His plans had changed somewhat, but only in his favor. He just had to be patient. And… he always did have patience. He looked over at Grimmjow and noticed his scowl. "If you want to meet them sooner rather than later, I suggest you let them get comfortable here, Grimmjow."

The irritable cat sighed and sulked. The boss had a point though. He wouldn't want Lisa to not be happy here. He wasn't so sure about the flaming haired kid… but whatever. He rubbed his head as the foreign sentimental thoughts raced through his head. What was wrong with him? He shouldn't care if anyone felt happy here or not.

Stark felt graced to give the poor cat a mock sympathetic look. "Don't worry, Grim. She'll be yours before you know it. And mine… will be mine eventually."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and stalked off grumbling about shoving something not so nice up someone's ass. Stark chuckled and followed him. Aizen turned to Gin. "You may do what you wish, Gin."

Gin grinned, "Why thank you, Aizen-sama." He turned and skipped down the hall towards the quickly fading shadows of the visitors.

Kaname looked at his master and asked softly, "What are your orders for me, sir?"

"Keep an eye on Gin. He might get overzealous." With that, Aizen was blessedly left to himself. He slowly lost his smile. Sighing softly he closed his eyes and wondered briefly if when all was said and done… would Night accept him? Shaking off the odd thought, he put on his trademark smirk and went to his room to rest… and to think.

* * *

~There ya go! I hope to have the next chapter ready to go from my beta by Wednesday.~


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: The Guest Apartments**

* * *

Ulquiorra led the group of visitors through several halls, passing several identical doors with no labels whatsoever on them. Lisa, like everyone else gave up on memorizing where they were going. She decided to be like Max for a change and go with the flow for now. Finally, she noticed that they were coming to a huge arched doorway.

The fourth Espada opened the doors and led them all into a huge sitting room with nice comfortable chairs, sofas, end tables, and soft plush rugs. The furniture was white, but the rugs were of a rich cream. The walls were stark white, but were adorned by large framed abstract art done in blues, reds, and yellows. There were two huge arched windows that gave off a great view of the desert below. A long coffee table was situated in the middle with a spotted purple orchid looking plant as its center piece.

"Dude… the guy doesn't just have charm. He's got style_._"Lisa smiled.

"This is where you will reside while you are here. If there is anything at all that does not fit to your tastes, please let one of the Espada or Generals know." Ulquiorra said softly as he showed them to the kitchenette and laundry room to the right of the sitting room, and to four bedrooms located on the left side. "King Aizen is a very attentive host, so he wishes for everyone to be comfortable."

"Damn… this might not be so bad." Max smiled as he instantly chose a bedroom decorated in blacks, golds, and crimsons. It was an added plus that every bedroom had its own bathroom. "I could get used to this." He promptly flopped himself on the bed, sighing at the feel of the soft velvet like comforter.

Ryu was pushed lightly by Lisa to go choose his room. He sighed and grumpily chose one with black, silver, and greens. He smiled though when he went into the bathroom. "I totally could get fuckin' used to this too."

Jade rolled her eyes and moved to the next bedroom. It was decorated in bright yellows, which were a bit too happy for her frame of mind. Lisa smiled and chose that bedroom, her favorite color being yellow. Jade found a nice bedroom across from Max's. It was decorated in soothing peaches and greens. Way more to her appetite. Night let her friends choose their bedrooms before she went to the last one. As she entered the spacious bedroom she sighed happily. It was done in pale blues and purples… definitely her type of room. The bed covers were very soft… almost as soft as suede. And the sheets were of cream satin. Max was right… she could get used to this too.

Ulquiorra watched as their guests promptly forgot about him in exploring their bedrooms. He waited patiently and finally Max came out of his room and did something very shocking. He pulled Ulquiorra in a rough hug and kissed him passionately. The fourth Espada let out a gasp in surprise, but before he could push the horny male away, his own emotions took over. Lisa came out of her room and squeaked in surprise.

"Woa… that is something you definitely don't see every day." Jade commented from her own doorway.

Night sniggered, "I know, right? A total 'Attack Your Host' make-out session." She grinned as the two males ignored their audience.

Ryu came out and blushed when he spotted Max attacking Ulquiorra. Then he retreated back into his room, mumbling about taking a shower and slamming the door behind him.

Lisa shook her head and rubbed her face. "I so need a shower." She turned and closed the door behind her.

Night and Jade shared a knowing smile. Lisa had issues watching men kiss one another. Oh… she wasn't prejudiced… she just got turned on a lot by it. Ryu was well… very teenage boyish.

Ulquiorra let out a stifled moan as Max thrust his tongue into his mouth. Oh… the man knew how to kiss! The fourth Espada wrapped his arms around the man's shoulders, running his fingers through the long silky white strands of Max's hair. Max gently pulled away so both of them could breathe. He murmured softly, "I've wanted to do that since you kicked me out of your mind, Emerald."

_Ohhh… so that's Emerald. _Jade stifled her laughter as she and Night shared another amused look.

Ulquiorra breathed in heavy gasps before he finally whispered, "You are worthless…."

"Yeah… and yet you are attracted to me." Max grinned impishly. He reached up and traced one of Ulquiorra's tear marks.

Night looked at Jade and sighed, "Maybe we should bring out the popcorn?"

Jade sniggered. "Either that or nachos."

Finally, Night coughed discretely, but loud enough to get the two lovebirds' attention. Ulquiorra felt his face heat up slightly as he and Max finally noticed that they had an audience. Jade laughed softly and said, "Thanks guys, I really needed that kink fest." She teased before entering her room and closing the door.

Max had the grace to look a bit bashful. "Um… well… ur… sorry about that." He let go of Ulquiorra and scratched his head, trying to look adorable.

Ulquiorra excused himself, wary of the look Night was giving Max. Aizen was right… that woman was a Huntress… and he definitely didn't want to cross her for something so trivial as kissing her friend.

Night walked over to Max and shook her head. "Max… you need to calm down and think before you act. Next time you want to shag your boyfriend, do it in a place you know nobody else is going to be, ok?"

"Yes ma'am." Max flashed her a grin.

"Plus… I don't think he appreciated your lack of respect for him by doing this in front of your friends. He's probably confused and totally stressed. Show him some consideration by courting him before you attack him, ok?" Night advised.

"K." Max nodded, taking her words to heart. Night never really was one to give advice, so when she did, it usually was very wise.

"And one more thing… have some consideration for us too. We all are emotionally and physically horned out because of being close to our mates. Don't make it worse by displaying stuff like that in front of us, ok?" She lightly smacked him upside the head. "It's hard enough not jumping our own mates, let alone seeing you do it!"

"Ow!" Max exaggerated as he rubbed his head. "Ok, I get it, alright?"

"Good." Night sighed and left her friend standing in the hall.

Max sighed softly and went to go find his 'boyfriend'.

Night closed the door behind her and rubbed her face. Even though she was in her human form now… it was still hard to control her own emotions. And her mate was so close… in the same building. She shivered slightly and figured that a shower would be nice. She went to the bathroom and gasped.

And gaped.

Finally, after getting her jaw off the floor and back where it belonged, she let out a small squee of delight. The bathroom was large with a large tub on one side and a shower on the other. A large vanity with two sinks lay between them and it all was done in dark blues. Oh man… this guy was a very nice host indeed. She found some nice looking black clothes folded on one chair next to the shower and she took a look at them.

Nice… they looked like a comfortable set of loose fitting black pants, a black shirt and nice underwear. There was a pretty white sash to serve as a belt too. Obviously he knew a lot about women's clothing or he had a woman subordinate that took care of the feminine details. She was hoping it was the latter of the two. But then again… the guy was a King….

Ripping her thoughts out of a naughty track, she stripped and got into the shower. Turning it on, she sighed softly as the warm water rushed over her tired limbs. Even though everything was more than perfect… she still didn't feel like she could trust Aizen. She couldn't believe that he wasn't still angry at her for going too far.

Oh… at the beginning she had been so excited and elated about having a mate in the first place that she really didn't stop and think about things.

The kiss had been unexpected but extremely pleasant. She didn't regret that at all. It was the way he reacted to her knee rubbing his groin that caused her some pause. The man was very dangerous, she knew that. Of course he hadn't attacked her, or caused her any harm. In fact, he let her go. But… she could tell that there was something deep inside of him that was very hostile and… very insecure. It was a bit similar to her own inner demon, though maybe a bit worse. She wasn't sure.

No… she needed to be more rational about this. She wasn't her friends' leader for nothing. And if Max couldn't keep a straight head, then she would. So… she would test the waters and when the coast was safe… she'd plunge in… but not before.

She washed herself with strawberry scented soap and shampoo… wait a second! How did he know about that? She bit her lip and finished cleaning up, puzzled and suspicious. How had he known to give her strawberry? And why in this particular bathroom? Had he known that she would pick this bedroom? That was her favorite things to use… strawberry… but how did he know? Maybe it was just a coincidence… but something told her it wasn't.

"Sosuke… you _are_ one scary man." She mumbled as she put on the clothes laid out for her and fixed her short spiked hair. The clothes fit loosely, but felt good on her skin. A long white sash that served as a belt was wrapped around her waist, allowing her to conceal some of her daggers. The clothes were just the right size, which made her feel a bit creepy about that. Then there were the sandals. Those fit too. _Damn… this is so weird. _

At least the hair gel that was left for her to use wasn't the same kind as she usually used. Thank God for that. Curious to see if her friends' mates were as attentive, she hurried through getting ready the rest of the way and left her room to sit and wait in the sitting room. It wasn't long before Max came and joined her.

"Like the shower?" She asked with a small smile.

He nodded, now dressed in similar clothes to hers only with an emerald sash across his waist for a belt. "Yea. Kind of weird though."

"What do you mean?" She asked innocently though she had a sneaky suspicion she knew the answer.

"The soap and stuff was very similar to what I use back home. I mean… it smells almost exactly the same." Max shivered as if the thought creeped him out.

"Not the only one." Night agreed.

"Ditto." Lisa said as she joined them, dressed in similar clothes but with a turquoise sash.

"Fuck yea." Ryu mumbled, also dressed in black but with a golden sash.

Jade chorused that thought as she came in dressed in black with a red sash for a belt. Max looked around. "Don't we all look colorful?"

"I think it's to represent our mates." Jade blushed slightly as she sat down.

Night nodded. "But do they know we are their mates?"

"I seriously doubt it." Lisa said with a yawn. "I think they want us to represent who we came in contact with."

"Strange, but not bad." Max said, poking at his green sash. Ryu sat down and sulked slightly. He was in one of those 'moods'. So everyone wisely left him alone.

"I get it though. Green is for Ulquiorra… blue is for Grimmjow… gold is for Stark…red is for Gin… and white is for…." Night was broken off by a new voice in the room.

"Lord Aizen." The voice came from a dark skinned man with a strange silver visor over his eyes. His shoulder length hair was done neatly and he was wearing a sleeveless uniform of white trimmed with grey and black. He had a tribal orange sash that wrapped around his shoulder and one arm. Another man walked in behind him. The arrival of said man drew a shaky breath from Jade.

Night guessed the guy with the silver grey hair and fox like face was Gin Ichimaru. He gave Jade a playful grin and waved at her. Jade blushed and tried to ignore how aroused she was feeling. It was so confusing. When she had been in his mind she had only felt the slightest bit attracted to him, and she seemed to have more control over her emotions. But now… that was completely opposite. She looked at Night, feeling a bit sorry for her.

If Night's man was the King and had such powerful reitsu, then how was she controlling her emotions? Night looked at the dark skinned man and nodded, "Thank you."

The man grunted to her and after a minute of dense silence, Gin broke it. "Ok, I think introductions are in order, even though Aizen-sama said that he would do that at dinner. I am General Gin Ichimaru and this is General Kaname Tosen." He advanced around General Tosen to sit next to Jade.

* * *

_Sorry this took me so long to post! I've been insanely busy this month! I have sent the next three chapters to my beta and hopefully will be posting much more frequently! *thank you all for your reviews!*_


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: A Tour of Las Noches**

* * *

Jade sighed softly and tried hard to not jump him. Gin didn't mind. He said softly, "This is Jade Hollinger. I said that correctly, right?"

At the woman's nod, he assumed, "And these are your friends?"

"Yes." Poor Jade mumbled.

General Tosen walked over to one of the windows and listened. The man looked at ease… but Night knew that he could attack at not even a second's notice. He reminded her of a panther. She sighed softly and helped Jade out by introducing everyone. "The big tough guy over there is Max Farthing. Next to him is Ryu Livingston, and next to him is Lisa Trinity. I am Midnight Onyx… but I go by Night. May I ask where Mr. Schiffer went off to?"

Max choked and flushed slightly. General Tosen noticed but ignored him. He turned to look at Night. "The fourth Espada is currently indisposed."

"What?" Lisa's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "Max, what did you do to him?"

Max coughed uncomfortably and mumbled, " ."

"Geez, slow down dude." Night grinned.

Max tried again, "I just apologized to him and he said that he had a headache. So, he left to go lay down."

"Ah." Jade sniggered, feeling a bit more relaxed. Gin seemed to notice that, so he said, "Did Max do anything to Ulquiorra?"

Lisa burst out laughing. Night gave the strange fox faced man a wry grin, "Probably scared him a little is all."

Max rolled his eyes. "I didn't scare him."

"Yes you did." All three girls echoed one another simultaneously. Even Ryu glared at Max.

"Man, that's harsh." Gin chuckled smoothly. "Apparently you are outnumbered Max."

Max shrugged and muttered, "What can ya do?"

Kaname had the grace to smile at that remark. He fully agreed. Despite his nonchalant appearance, Kaname was studying each visitor with interest. He wanted to gain as much information about them and their mindsets before he went to meet Aizen for dinner. He just hoped that Gin would behave himself long enough for him to get a suitable amount of intell.

He needn't have worried, however. Gin was in his element, fitting in with the visitors easily. After a few more minutes, Gin suggested they begin a tour of Las Noches. And since Ulquiorra was not well, Gin took over being the tour guide. As the visitors followed Kaname and Gin down the hall away from the 'apartment', Night couldn't help but feel like everyone was being watched. She bit her lip and shivered.

After a few more minutes, she spotted a little bit of blue hair behind her. Ahhh… so it's Grimmjow? She looked at Lisa, noticing that her friend was trembling slightly. Other than that, Lisa didn't show that she knew he was following and watching them.

Grimmjow sighed softly as he turned to move to a different spot. Aizen's orders had been specifically to let the visitors get comfortable here. He hadn't said anything about not watching them. Grimm knew that he was edging the line a bit with his reasoning, but he had to see her. She was even more beautiful in person…. And she smelled even more delicious.

That short spiked dark blue haired woman knew how to watch her ass though, so he had to be extremely careful. She'd almost caught him on several occasions. It stood to reason why she was Aizen's girl. Anyone with a brain could see that she was wearing his colors. Black and white. The white on her sash symbolized him and everything to do with his psyche. Just like Lisa's blue sash represented Grimmjow. He didn't know how to react to that. Her wearing his colors.

Maybe it was a way of showing everyone else that she was his? But… why would Aizen-sama do that for him? He turned and was about to walk to another pillar when Stark appeared beside him. "You're bending the rules a bit, Grimmy."

Grimmjow scowled at the primera Espada. "I ain't."

"Yes… I think you are." Stark slowly smiled. He leaned on one of the pillars, turning his gaze to the retreating visitors. "You can't keep away from her, can you? At least I am being more inconspicuous about my target."

It wasn't a pun, and Grimm didn't mistake it for one. He sighed and dropped to a crouch. He rubbed his face with his hands and mumbled, "Yea."

Stark grunted in acknowledgement, "Aizen-sama might not like you following them."

"Tche… who's gonna tell him?" Grimmjow growled, standing up to face the primera. "You?"

"No…." Stark said after a moment of thought. He looked at the blue haired Espada and advised, "But they might."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes, though he knew that Stark was right. Somehow he'd known that Lisa could sense his presence… even when he'd just started following them. "Just let her be for now, Grim." Stark said softly, before turning and walking away.

The sixth Espada had the sudden violent urge to kick or punch something, but he didn't. How had he become so mellow? Easy… try sticking in this hell hole for forty five years doing nothing, then see how you feel. He sighed and walked away, telling himself that it was of his own accord, not because some tight-assed primera had suggested it.

Lisa let out a breath of relief and relaxed slightly. Ryu sighed too, glad that the faint scent of his own mate had stopped and faded away. It made both feel relieved and a bit lonely too. Wow. How were Lisa and Ryu ever going to learn to control their emotions around their mates? Both males made them feel like oxymorons! Lisa rubbed her arms, irritated. That fleabag probably knew what he was doing to her.

* * *

Aizen took a shower, feeling the strange overwhelming urge to call out to Night. He didn't know why he wanted to, and he didn't feel like examining the reason either. He was a bit tired, to say the least. He had tried to rest for an hour or so, but gave up after thirty minutes of thinking about nothing but her. Sighing, the king let the warm water run over head and down his back.

He knew that he alone had the strength to keep his desires at bay. Grimmjow certainly didn't. He knew all about the arrancar's desire to follow and watch the blond long haired woman. At least Stark had been pretty good about not falling into his own desires for Ryu… the boy who strangely resembled Kurosaki. Ulquiorra had come to him fifteen minutes ago telling him that he had nearly been assaulted by the 'big brute asinite trash'. That phrase coming from the usually stoic fourth Espada meant that he was utterly mortified or pissed. Maybe a bit of both. That had been amusing and Aizen had fought hard not to outright laugh at his frazzled confused subordinate. So… Ulquiorra had left them alone, but not before getting himself tongue sucked first.

And then there was Gin. Though Kaname was watching Gin's every move, Aizen felt that the fox like man was purposefully putting himself in a dangerous position. The shy girl Jade was like an aphrodisiac to the man. How long would it take for Jade to cave in? How long would it take for Gin? But… he did trust Gin's judgment, if not his motives.

So… that left himself. And he had curbed his strong curiosity and attraction to Night and came here to 'rest' and wait. But he found himself wondering if he'd made the right choice. He closed his eyes and focused his spirit energy. Soon, he whispered, "Night, I haven't forgotten you. Nor, have I forgotten your taste and smell."

Night nearly jumped six feet in the air as she heard his voice in her head. _Woa now. Is he trying to scare the shit out of me? _She bit her lip at the sound of his soft laugh. _Great… Just great. He can hear my thoughts now_.

"_Only if I concentrate." _Aizen's amused voice sounded in her head.

Her thoughts scrambling from one subject to another. Aizen got a bit dizzy from it, but figured it was a defense mechanism bred into her kind. _No… I'm just a bit of a scatter brain. Sorry._

_So… you can sense my thoughts too? _Aizen asked.

_Calling is a two edged sword. _She said, looking around at the large halls. _I'm going to get lost in here, I know it._

_You'll be fine. _Aizen chuckled softly, sending chills up her spine. _So, it is called 'calling'._

_Yes. Mental talking is called that. It's rather strange though. _Night mused. _Usually calling can happen between two people who have known each other for ages or…. _Night blinked and shoved the thought away. He didn't need to know that other part.

Unfortunately, Aizen never missed much. _Or what?_

Night was trying hard to think up a good answer before their connection was cut off. She blinked and looked around. They had just entered the training halls.

Aizen sighed softly as he was jarred out of his thoughts by the shrill voice at his door. "Aizen-sama! Aizen-sama!"

He shook his head and got out of the shower, turning off the water. He really should kill those girl fraccion pests. He hadn't ever slept with them, and he'd never paid much attention to them… so he really didn't need them. He wondered why he even kept them since the war. He should have off'd them then, but hadn't.

He towel dried himself off before putting on a robe and leaving the bathroom. He sat down and uttered, "Enter."

The female arrancar popped her head in and asked, "Aizen-sama, is it true that there's a girl here that is wearing your colors?"

Her twin sister popped her head in too. "I saw her!"

Aizen said patiently, "Why don't you two come in and have a seat. Then I'll answer you."

"Yes sir." Both fraccion squeaked. Loly and Menoly both came in and sat down, nearly drooling over Aizen's robed form.

Aizen mentally rolled his eyes. They were so obvious it wasn't even funny. "Now… yes, Miss Midnight Onyx is wearing my colors. Is there something wrong with my choice?"

One fraccion gulped, knowing they were treading on thin ice. "No Aizen-sama!"

The other fraccion echoed her sister, "No! We just were wondering… why her?"

"Why not her?" Aizen gave them a tolerant smirk.

"Umm… never mind." One fraccion blushed before changing the subject slightly, "What about the other visitors?"

"What about them?" The king ran a hand through his still wet hair. This was getting old real fast.

"Well, one is wearing Grimmjow's colors, one's wearing Stark's colors… and another is wearing Ulquiorra's! And those last two are male!" The fraccion squealed.

"Yea! And another one is wearing General Ichimaru's colors… Aizen-sama… why?" The other fraccion hesitated before asking.

Aizen shrugged lightly, "Again I ask… why not them?"

The two fraccion pouted, but then one shyly asked, "Aizen-sama… are they going to stay… for a long time?"

Aizen slowly smiled at that. "A very long time I hope."

* * *

Night and her comrades loved the training halls. There were so many rooms with arenas and battle supplies. One could spend hours upon hours entertaining themselves just by being in one weapon room alone. Night tested a few swords like her saber, but found that her saber was the best weapon for her. Everyone else had similar tastes, but it was still fun exploring the equipment.

Gin had Jade in one arena lightly sparing. Jade had her huge (Ichigo like) sword and Gin had drawn Shinzo in its unreleased form. Max motioned to Night, Ryu, and Lisa. All four turned to watch the two mates parry each other's attacks.

Gin let out a soft laugh, "Very good, Jade. You almost cut me there."

Jade rolled her eyes and snarked back, "Don't tempt me."

Suddenly Gin straightened and said, "Is it dinner time already?"

Kaname nodded and lead everyone to the dining room which consisted of several long tables. One was at the center of the room reserved probably for the elite. Night assumed that was where they were going to sit… and she was right. Several Espada and arrancar mingled at their own tables while Kaname led the group to their seats. Aizen bowed slightly and offered the seat at his right to Night. She blushed and caught his eye. Ever since he'd 'called' her, she hadn't been able to keep thoughts of him away from her.

He gave her one of his usual smirks, making him more badass and sexy than ever. She sat down, noting that Gin was across from her at Aizen's left side, and Lisa was at her left side. Next to him was Jade. On Jade's right was Max, and on his right was Ulquiorra. Kaname sat across from Max with Grimmjow near his right. Ryu sat next to Stark, but was close to Lisa.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Dinner Amongst Possible Allies**

* * *

_Hmmm… looks like he wants us to feel at ease._ Night noted, realizing that everyone was paired in a certain way to make sure that they could talk to someone they knew and felt comfortable with. Even Kaname didn't seem so daunted sitting next to Grimmjow. _Maybe he was put there for a reason._

She had no idea how right she was. Aizen spoke softly, but clearly, causing everyone to shut up in the whole dining room. "Thank you for joining us to dinner. It isn't much, but we hope you enjoy it." He then gestured for the feast to begin.

The food wasn't as pleasant as it could have been, but all five visitors were extremely hungry. They hadn't eaten anything all day, so they ate happily. Night wasn't as hungry as everyone else, but she ate anyway. Max wolfed his food down so fast that Jade had to smack his back in order for him to slow down.

"Sheez, big guy, the food isn't going to run away." Jade said with a smile.

Max gulped and blushed. He dabbed his face with a napkin and noticed that Ulquiorra was looking at him with mixed horror and disgust. "What?" He asked.

"You are as bad mannered as a horde of swine." Ulquiorra told him with absolute honesty.

Everyone around the table snickered, even Kaname. Lisa then suggested, "Then maybe you should teach him some manners, Schiffer!"

"Hear hear!" Night exclaimed with a grin.

Gin grinned and softly whispered into Jade's ear, making her laugh. Grimmjow's smile faded and he started sulking, staring from time to time at the woman beside him. He wasn't very happy at that moment because Kaname had been conveniently put nearby. He wouldn't be able to have much fun with Lisa because of it.

Aizen coughed slightly and said, "I know some of us have already met but, I want to make formal introductions. Is that ok with you?" He asked Night.

Grimmjow nearly barfed. He was charming way too much… surely the woman could see that?

Night smiled, "Sure."

_Oh brother. _Lisa thought, feeling ironically the same way Grimm was feeling. Ryu shivered slightly. Damnit… being next to Stark made him nervous… and horny as hell.

After introductions were made, they finished eating the main course. Grimm had gotten Lisa to talk a bit, so both were feeling better. "You have got one nasty right hook." He gave her a huge grin.

"That's what happens when you train as an assassin." She replied with a small smile.

"What kind of assassin?" He asked, truly interested.

"Special Ops. We go in and take out idiots that want to fuck our system up." She shrugged.

"You know… that sounds like an awesome job to me." Grimm chuckled. "I'd love it if we did that here."

"Really?" Maybe the cat wasn't so bad after all. He seemed to be a descent guy when he wasn't assaulting you.

Stark turned to Ryu. "What's your story?"

Ryu scowled at him, but finally relented, softly saying, "I'm training to be an assassin as well. But it's not going well."

Stark arched an eyebrow and couldn't help but lean in and sniff the boy's neck. Ryu blanched and nearly jumped out of his chair. "Dude… you smell good."

Lisa rolled her eyes with amusement. Of course Ryu did. Ryu was one of the cleanest persons around. Ryu shivered and let out a strangled, "Back off."

Stark grinned and licked his lips. The boy was even more entertaining than Lilinette. And that was saying something.

Max had Kaname and Ulquiorra in a three way conversation about battle tactics. Kaname and Ulquiorra were a bit impressed about how adept the man was in military deals. Ulquiorra thought maybe the man wasn't as trashy as he first thought.

Jade was talking with Gin about the first time she shifted. "It was amazing. I was only five when it happened."

"Tell me." Gin prompted with a smile.

"I wanted to fly like the birds did. So… I somehow managed to get out of my mother's arms and jumped off a cliff. I can remember her yelling and screaming, thinking that I'd just unknowingly committed suicide. But… I flew and chased the birds. Eventually I came to her and flew circles around her."

"I bet she loved that." Gin chuckled.

"She was a bit startled, but didn't mind. My mother had been a green dragon shifter, so she understood. My dad was a sea monster shifter. It made us all wonder where I got all the fire from." She shrugged. "They didn't mind though."

"I bet they are going to miss you while you are on your vacation." He warned.

"No… they've been gone for some time now." Jade looked a little sad, but she covered it with a smile.

"Gee, now you've gotten me feeling bad!" Gin admonished and gave her a silly hug. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok." She grinned at him. "It really is."

Aizen and Night both surveyed their comrades, each smiling slightly at the exchanges of laughter and teasing. Finally, Aizen put a gentle hand on top of Night's. When she didn't withdraw it, he gently caressed her fingers before interweaving his with hers. Night was conscious of the action, and couldn't help feeling warmth settle into the pit of her stomach.

Aizen leaned over and whispered, "I hope you enjoy your stay here, young huntress."

Night turned and looked at him, nearly drowning in his chocolate gaze. A sudden surge of overwhelming desire flooded her being and she bit her lip. Her resolve and resistance was fast fading, though she was trying to hold on to them with her dear life. Aizen started rubbing soothing circles on her palm with his thumb.

She sighed softly and asked him, "How did you know about our likings?"

He gave her an amused smile. "A host wouldn't be a very good one if they didn't find out what their guests favor."

"Yes… but how did you know?" Night pressed lightly, curious.

"In the same way I knew you'd come to me." He leaned in and kissed her chastely on the lips. "I just did."

Grimmjow and Lisa both stared at their leaders. "That is so not fair." Grimmjow grumbled.

Ryu sulked slightly, feeling a bit put out, "Yea… that is soooo not right. Night's never kissed anyone… not that I can remember anyway."

Stark chuckled and murmured softly, "You'll get your chance, pup."

Ryu blushed and fought hard to keep his attention on his food.

"Yeah… no kidding." Lisa glanced at Grimm. "If we started fucking right now, you'd think they'd notice?"

Grimmjow laughed, truly amused, especially when he spotted Ryu flushing to the roots of his hair. "I know he would. He'd make sure I'd wish I was dead." That was ironic, since technically he was dead, but whatever.

"Yea… Night would make us feel the same way." She laughed and sipped her mug of spiced something. "She's a great boss though, even if she isn't official."

"How did you guys meet?" Grimm asked, taking a swig of his own drink.

"We've known each other since we were six. We met at school and hit it off immediately. She was playing tag with some boys and they got a bit out of hand. I figured she might have needed some help, so I helped her out a little by kicking ass on a few. We've been best buds ever since." She sighed softly, her thoughts miles away.

Stark asked Ryu, "What about you? How did you guys meet?

Ryu sighed and said softly, "They found me orphaned in an inner city. Places like where we are from don't take kindly to orphans. So… Night took me on as sort of a sibling. Though she's more like a mother to me really. She really hates me calling her mom though."

Max was startled when he saw King Aizen make a move on Night. He couldn't believe she let it happen. "That girl needs to follow her own advice."

Kaname agreed, but was silent.

Ulquiorra sighed, exasperated. "At least he isn't attacking her. Lord Aizen wouldn't do such a thing."

Kaname coughed slightly to cover his laugh. He also agreed. Lord Aizen wouldn't do anything like that in public. And… it was refreshing to see his master in great elation. He remembered what it felt like to love someone of a pure heart. Of course he highly doubted Night had a pure heart. He may be blind, but there were still some things he could still see. Night had a past that haunted her. He briefly wondered if that past would eventually come to light.

Max flushed a bit and coughed, embarrassed. "I can't help it. If you didn't look and smell so damned appealing, I wouldn't have done it. I usually don't swing that way."

The fourth Espada regarded him for a moment. Eventually his eyes returned to King Aizen and Night. _You must cherish this, little girl. Who knows how long he'll wish to keep you here._

Jade rolled her eyes. "I guess I'll have to be the person to have their heads fastened to their shoulders."

Gin regarded her playfully, "You sure about that?" He had seen the exchange between both leaders. In a way… it felt like Aizen-sama was truly in his element. He was giving off so much happy vibes that it almost itched. The General rubbed his arms a little, wondering how their world had changed in the past few hours. _But… if Aizen-sama is happy, and she keeps him happy, I don't see why that is a bad thing. _

* * *

_~Sorry about the short chapter, but I am also posting the next one in a few minutes, so you will have two chaps tonight instead of one. Thank you again to my lovely reviewers. You totally make my day!~  
_


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: The Discussion of Mates of Being**

* * *

Kaname asked Max, "So… is it true that you feed off of soul energy?"

"Yes. Reiatsu is a primal source of our shifting abilities, reproduction, and all around life. Without it, we'd be nothing more than weak sterile humans." Max confirmed, sighing. "In our world reiatsu isn't as dense as it is here. You have to hunt for it, that's why we hunt demons. They are soulless beings with enough spirit energy to sustain us."

"You say that you need this energy to reproduce, why is that?" Kaname asked, curious.

"We don't know. It's always been that way with us. Our males and females can't get pregnant if they don't feed regularly on reiatsu. But it affects some of us more than others. The more powerful we are, the more dependent we are on it. Some of us have to feed every night. Others with lesser abilities can feed once a week." Max shrugged.

"So, by having reiatsu making up the atmosphere here, allows you not to have to feed?" Ulquiorra asked that.

"No. We still need to feed. It's the whole 'consuming' the reiatsu. We have to literally suck the reiatsu out of something. We usually kill our prey first before doing so because it can sometimes be dangerous." Max answered.

"Dangerous, in what way?" Aizen asked, and everyone's attention was now on the topic.

Night answered, "Because it can lead to bonding."

"Bonding?" Gin questioned.

"Reiatsu bonding. It usually happens between mates of being who wish to tie their reiatsu together. But, occasionally it happens when one of us is new to hunting and accidentally ties their reiatsu to the demon. When that happens, both the hunter and the hunted accidentally kill each other." Max answered.

"How does that happen?" Grimmjow asked.

Night answered this time. "When someone bonds with another, their souls and spirit energy are linked to each other. So, depending on the intent, feeding can be pleasurable, like between mates, or it can be very painful. If the intent of the feeder is to kill, then the bonded victim is in intense pain. And since bonded shifters can feel their mate's emotions, thoughts, etc, the same goes for the feeder and its victim. So, the feeder will feel the pain and if isn't quick enough to stop, or recognize what is going on, they both die."

"Damn." Grimmjow whistled. "You guys are more bloodthirsty than us."

Lisa popped him on the arm. "It's not like we can help it."

Stark shivered as Ryu purred softly, the boy grinning viciously, "Besides, I don't see why that is a bad thing."

"This is precisely why we kill our victims before we drain their energy." Night sighed, feeling the same soothing rub that Aizen was giving her palm with his thumb. It was incredibly calming.

"What about mates? You say that bonds between Mates of Being are pleasurable. Why is that?" Kaname asked.

"Good one! I was just going to ask that." Gin smiled.

Night coughed slightly and shared a knowing look with her friends. They all knew this subject would come up. What they didn't expect was that it would come up on their first meal there. "Max, take the stage."

"Why me?" The man complained.

"Because you were once training in medicine, and plus I told you to." Night said, a hard glint in her eye that would rival a pissed off bear.

_Woa… no wonder Aizen-sama likes her. She's as scary as him! _Grimmjow thought. Ulquiorra was feeling the same way.

Aizen smiled, liking the turn of events. He wouldn't have dreamed of getting so much information out of them in one setting. Maybe that was because they didn't seem to mind talking about themselves or their kind. Still…. He looked at Night as she glared at Max. _She doesn't trust us. They all don't. If this information is given to just anyone who wants to know, then what kind of information do they want to keep secret?_

Max pouted, which made him look absolutely ridiculous to all but Ulquiorra, but then he shrugged and gave in. "Ok… where we come from our people have the rare instances to get a Mate of Being. A Mate of Being is someone who is compatible in every possible and impossible way to that person. Because these mates are very few and far between, it is very rare to expect getting one, much less two. Often times a Mate of Being is already married or bonded physically with someone else. If this happens, the mates have the choice of still being together or leaving each other to their own lives. It's a double edged sword though. If the mates chose to stay together, there is often the chance that they will break apart due to jealousy, mistrust, and anger. Affairs aren't really an option. Sometimes a mate will resent their mate from taking their family away from them, though it usually isn't the case.

"The second option is done at the choice of both mates, but it is highly painful for the unbound and unclaimed mate to walk away." He paused and looked apologetically at Jade. She nodded shakily for him to continue. "Sometimes this pain is so great that it causes that mate to commit suicide. Only on rare occasion does that mate survive."

He paused to let it all sink in. When he got the all clear from Night, he resumed, "On the upside, if one of our kind finds an unbound and unmated Mate of Being, then it can become highly pleasurable and exciting. This happens only if both mates become soul mated, physically mated, and if they chose reiatsu mated. This all can only happen if both parties are aware of the procedures and accept the conditions. And plus… there can be more than one tied to another. It's very rare, but triads have on occasion been documented."

"So… how does one find out if they have a mate?" Ulquiorra asked, surprising everyone.

"It's real simple, Emerald." Max grinned. "You suddenly find yourself attracted to some unknown scent, unknown reiatsu level, depending on how high it is, and you can't seem to keep yourself from bolting after it like a madman, or woman." He winked at Night and she blew him a raspberry. "Once you get to your mate, depending on how powerful they are, you'll either want to mate with them repeatedly, or soul bond, reiatsu bond, or all three."

"Wow… that's one hell of a sex drive." Grimmjow piped up.

Lisa jabbed him in the ribs. "Shut up, Grimmy."

Night sighed and said, "Thank you, Max." She looked around, knowing the unspoken question she was about to answer would stir their hosts' curiosity. "Mates bond by vampirism."

After the gasps and questions died down, she explained, "When we suck reiatsu out of our victims we have to bite them and drain them of it. Mate bonding is very similar. Once it happens, both mates have to frequently suck each other's reiatsu in order to survive. Same goes for triads. If they become separated for more than a day, it could kill them or drive them insane. It's very painful to deal without one's other half. The bonding itself is like an aphrodisiac and is very addictive."

"It in short makes sex better and makes us very happy." Lisa smirked.

Ryu seriously felt like if he turned redder, he'd be a tomato. Stark chuckled and took hold of his hand, murmuring, "Don't be ashamed of your needs, little one."

Ryu almost felt like digging himself a large hole and burying himself in it. And the feel of Stark's hand on his was not helping his raging hormones either.

Again, Ulquiorra asked a very personal question, surprising everyone, "Do mates have to have sex in order to bond?"

Max burst out laughing, causing the Espada to glare at him. He finally answered, sobering, "No… but it makes it really hard not to. It gives you a high like you won't believe and it'll make you wish you were screwing each other's brains out."

"What if one mate doesn't know about the other mate?" Kaname asked softly.

Aizen slowly smiled. Kaname was milking these guys for what it was worth. He always liked that about his General. Jade answered, "They might not, at first. But then it'd eventually get too painful not to be around them, talk with them, feel their touch, and it would be very difficult not to mate."

"Then there is the whole dominance thing." Max winked at Ulquiorra, causing the Espada to turn a shade of pink.

"Dominance?" Gin asked, intrigued.

"If a mate of being is oblivious to their mate being nearby, it causes irrational behavior and dominance issues. For one, the knowledgeable mate will feel the increasing need to either be dominated by their mate or do the dominating themselves. If this happens, then the other mate has the option of rejection, but only for a few weeks. If both mates are in the 'seeking' stage, then it is more difficult to go without dominance or dominating. The reason for that is our mating season comes right after the 'seeking' stage. So, the dominance is preparation for the mating season." Max replied.

_How very interesting…. _Aizen thought as he analyzed the information.

"And then you guys get to be like fuck bunnies." Grimmjow chuckled.

"Very much so." Max grinned.

"Do you guys still have a mating season if you don't have a mate?" Stark asked, curious.

"No. We don't. It's only geared for Mates of Being. We don't even get much of a sex drive, I'm afraid." Max sighed.

"Damn, no wonder you guys are built for battle." Grimmy joked.

Finally Aizen spoke up, "You said that if a person was stronger, than it would be harder to resist the urge, correct?"

"Yes." Max nodded.

Night said softly, "Strength is measured by the will and reiatsu of that person. If that person has a fierce will to live and very little reiatsu, it's not as much of a problem. But if that person is very strong in both, then nothing will stop their mate from finding them."

Aizen nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. Things were starting to click into place. He asked Night, "What happens if their mate rejects them for longer than necessary?"

"Then we die." Night said bitterly.

"You guys sure have a fucked up sense of living and dying." Grimmy commented.

Lisa rolled her eyes and smacked him upside the head. "Quit being an ass."

* * *

_~Hope you guys enjoyed that little insight into the world of shifters. The next chapter should be up soon, depending on when I get it back from my beta. Poor girl is having finals this week and next week, so please be patient. XD Again, thank you all who have reviewed and even the lurkers. I love you all.~_


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: A Lesson in Dancing**

* * *

Ryu glowered at Grimmjow before muttering, "Fuckin' cats."

Stark silenced him with a slight squeeze to his hand. "Though I agree with your sentiments… please refrain from looking at Grimmjow too long. He'll damage your eyesight."

Ryu stifled a giggle, relaxing a bit more. Stark was humorous, even if he was just one hunk of sex on a stick.

Ulquiorra nodded, agreeing with Lisa. "Please do. Your lack of decency is vomitable."

Aizen was silent through the remainder of dessert, though he kept on lazily rubbing Night's hand. She hadn't told him to stop, so he hadn't. As everyone left to go to their rooms, Aizen didn't relinquish her hand. "Stay for a bit."

Night nodded, feeling a bit nervous. Had it been a good idea to give them so much information? Had he put two and two together? If so… what would he do now? Aizen rose and gently helped her up. He then led her out of the dining room and onto a beautiful balcony overlooking the desert. Night breathed in the reiatsu enriched air, feeling a bit hungry… but not for food.

The demon from the night before hadn't been near enough to sustain all of them. She knew she would have to feed off something in an hour or two… maybe sooner. She didn't think her mate was ready for reiatsu bonding yet. If he was, great! If not, then she wouldn't be surprised. _All of this must be overwhelming to him._

He finally let go of her hand and stood with her, looking over the desert. She spared a glance at her mate, noting how comfortably he was relaxed against the rail. He was so beautiful, especially in the moonlight. She trembled slightly and tried to think of something to say. Coming up empty, she looked away, feeling more nervous.

After what seemed like forever, they heard the sound of some strange yet, gentle music coming from below. She looked at Aizen questionably. He just gave her that trademark sexy smile of his and she looked below. There was an arrancar duet of singers, playing what looked like some sort of harp like instruments. She suddenly felt Aizen's breath on her ear. How had he got that close?

Easy… she hadn't been paying attention. She should be more careful. She scolded herself mentally as she bent her head, exposing her neck to him. He took the initiative and grazed his lips down the side of her throat. And then she felt his arms go slowly around her middle… giving her several chances to move away. She knew why he was doing this, but she didn't know what his plan was.

If it was seducing, he was doing a damn good job of it. But she couldn't be sure if that was all he was doing. Finally, he whispered into her ear, "Dance with me, young huntress."

Chills and desire went all over her, inside her. _Did he have to be so good at this? _She wondered, turning in his embrace to face him. He smelled so good, felt so warm, and she didn't know if she could contain herself much longer.

He pulled away slightly to let one hand go to hers, lifting it. She gulped slightly, feeling so amateur at this. She knew how to dance, but more of the exotic kind that got your blood pumping. She'd always thought this kind of dancing was boring. Apparently, she was sadly mistaken. "I don't know this kind of dancing." She admitted shyly.

He said softly, "We'll have to change that, won't we?" And he gently twirled her around.

* * *

Grimmjow, _and _Lisa felt a bit irritable and put out. Kaname was chaperoning them apparently. Grimm didn't know if it was from Aizen's orders or if the prick just wanted to make his life miserable. Lisa was fuming too, wondering if there was a way to ditch the bastard. She had more questions for the cat and she also wanted a rematch of their fight earlier in their minds. She knew that if she had her spear in her hands in real life, she'd whoop his ass.

They were now walking towards the training halls. Kaname didn't say anything, not really caring where those two were going. He just wanted to make sure that Grimmjow didn't do something stupid.

Little did he know that Lisa was just as bad at not playing it by the rules.

As they passed one corridor, both Lisa and Grimm noticed Ulquiorra and Max kissing and making the most erotic sounds of pleasure that they'd heard in a while. Grimm glared and looked ahead, muttering, "This is shit."

"Damn right." Lisa blushed, suddenly very horny.

They then saw Stark lead Ryu over to a separate corner to watch. Ryu blushed and was about to comment at the sight of Ulquiorra and Max, but was silenced by a brutal, but arousing kiss. He let out a mewl, shivering as Stark pulled him into a deep embrace, kissing him deeply. Ryu gasped into the kiss, allowing his mouth to be insanely plundered by a wicked long tongue. He let out a strangled moan as Stark cleverly reached down to palm Ryu through his pants.

Getting totally turned on, Lisa decided to create a diversion to get Tosen out of the way. It was apparent that Ryu NEEDED Stark. Just as she needed Grimmjow. She tapped Grimmjow's shoulder, causing him to growl softly and turn to look at her.

"I was just thinkin' of how we can ditch the General." Lisa grinned evilly and crossed her arms over her chest.

Kaname sighed softly. _You'd think they knew that blind people have their other senses heightened. Kids…._

* * *

Gin escorted Jade to a very pretty green house built right inside the left side of the dome of Las Noches. Jade gasped at all of the beautiful plants and trees. There were even birds and all kinds of butterflies. "Wow… how did you guys manage to get this in here?"

"I'm not really sure. Aizen-sama just wanted one, so we have one. What do you think?" Gin asked, feeling strangely at ease with his girl. Since when did he start referring her to 'his' girl? He mentally shrugged. Whatever. It didn't matter.

"It's really beautiful." Jade grinned from ear to ear as they advanced further into the room. Suddenly, she felt the urge to hug him and kiss him. She went with the first, but paused before she did the second.

"Thank you Gin." She mumbled before burying her face into his chest.

Gin was a bit surprised, but didn't mind her touch on him. She felt warm and soft. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. Her scent was even more incredible than before and he drank it in, breathing deeply. He suddenly had the urge to kiss her.

He gently nuzzled her brown hair and then finally whispered in his eerie erotic voice, "Jade… I just got the urge to kiss you."

Jade blushed into his chest and burrowed even further, clutching him. "But… if you don't want that, I understand." He murmured, smiling a bit more.

She sighed softly and took some deep breaths. Did she want this? She liked him… and he was going to be her mate of being soon enough. But… would he get bonded before then? Would he accept her? She muddled through her thoughts for a moment before raising her face to look at his.

She wished yet again that she could see his eyes. She wondered if they were as beautiful a crimson as they were in his mind. "Only if you open your eyes."

Gin was a bit taken aback, but then he understood where she was coming from. He sobered slightly and whispered, "Do you really want to see them?"

"Yes." Jade whispered, hanging on to a bit of courage she didn't know she had.

"Ok… done deal!" Gin smiled. Then he said, "I'll open my eyes after the kiss, to make it more romantic."

She giggled, feeling suddenly happy. And then, his lips were on hers and oh heavens! Her body was shaken so much by the electricity firing through her veins. It was all she could do not to scream. Instead she settled on a husky moan. Gin's arms tightened around her as he deepened the kiss.

He felt like he was on fire. His blood was sending desire everywhere and it was all _he _could do not to tackle her. This felt so strange, but he was so far gone that he couldn't stop. He gently nibbled at her lips and finally was allowed entrance. His tongue delved into her sweet cavern and he couldn't suppress a soft growl like moan that sent a hot spike of arousal plunging to Jade's most sensitive areas. She gave into a moan of her own, allowing him dominant access to her mouth. Her tongue followed his, letting him take the initial sweeps and thrusts. Jade suddenly felt him adjust her back to fit against him perfectly. She felt his arousal on her stomach and she let out another moan. He felt so good, so right, so dominant and it was driving her insane.

All of her previous doubts were gone from her head as Gin pulled away, gently nipping her lips causing another wave of hot desire to go through her. Damn… the guy sure knew how to kiss! His scent nearly made her go bonkers. He smelled so good!

He pulled a little more away and she opened her eyes to look up at him, never realizing that she had closed them. He had his eyes open and he caught her in the most intense erotic gaze she'd ever been in. Those red eyes were of darker crimson than she remembered from his mind, but maybe that was because of the arousal in them. She reached up and touched the side of his face.

His eyes barely closed, but this time it was from desire and he sighed softly, trying to put his jumbled feelings back together. They were so mixed up. In one hand he wanted this, wanted someone he could relate to… to talk to… to cherish and care for. On the other hand… he was scared. And Gin wasn't accustomed to feeling either emotion. Even death didn't scare him. But this woman… what she caused him to feel… made him very wary and unsure.

She leaned up on the tips of her toes and kissed him gently on the lips. "Thank you, Gin-sama." She whispered.

He let out the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He felt as if a big load had been taken off his shoulders. How had she managed to do that? He wondered as he put on his characteristic fox like mask. He took her hand away from his face and gently kissed the knuckles. "Any time, little lady."

* * *

_*YAY* My beta is done with all of her finals, so that means quicker updates. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Next one should be up by Sunday._


	17. Chapter 16

_*Yay! Fanfiction . net finally got fixed I guess. It was maddening not being able to post anything. Grrrr*_

**Chapter 16: The Plots of Cat and Wolf**

* * *

Ulquiorra moaned softly as Max delved deeper into his mouth, dominating even more. The fourth Espada was so drunk with desire and lust that he didn't want the sensations to end. They had gotten to a secluded hallway this time, but what would happen if someone walked by and saw them?

The frazzled arrancar didn't care at this point and who could blame him? Having someone overly attractive with long white hair and a tongue that should be illegal nearly fucking his own does something to a person. Ulquiorra threw his head back with a bang as it hit the wall. It broke the kiss but only for a few short breaths.

Max couldn't help it. His mate smelled so delicious and he couldn't seem to get enough of his taste. He wanted him… and he wanted him now. He rubbed both their arousals together, causing both men to moan. Again he attacked Ulquiorra's mouth, giving the poor man the tongue fucking marathon of the year. Max started to quicken his pace, rubbing and thrusting against the Arrancar's arousal. Ulquiorra gasped, letting out a series of cries that were muffled by Max's sinful mouth. With each thrust, both men came closer to climaxing.

Finally, Max released Ulquiorra's mouth so he could latch his mouth onto the submissive man's throat. Acting on instinct more than anything else, Ulquiorra put his head to the side, baring his neck even more to the dominant lust ridden man. Max licked and suckled his mate's skin, the hunger deep inside of him burning to be sated, but some shred of sanity was still left in him. He wasn't going to force the bond with his mate. He'd never do that.

Never.

So, he quickened his thrusts even more, making them harder and forceful. Ulquiorra bent his knees, effectively letting the other man slide between them. Max had better access this time, so he continued his mad thrusting at a better angle, causing both men to groan and moan.

Ulquiorra was the first to come, letting out a guttural yell that sounded throughout the hall. He fell limp as Max finished with a low growl. He looked up from the hickey he'd given the shivering Espada and gently kissed him, rocking his body a bit back and forth to give them more pleasure.

Ulquiorra kissed him back, feeling totally and completely mind fucked.

Little did they know but one very horny Espada and one equally horny shifter were watching. Grimmjow picked his jaw up off the floor and put it where it belonged. He rubbed his face and tried to get the image of the two males humping each other out of his head. Lisa bit out a strangled, "Damn…."

"Yea." Grimmjow mumbled. "I thought we left this corridor half an hour ago."

"Don't tell me you got us lost!" Lisa hissed and shoved him.

Grimm rolled his eyes. "Even I get lost in here sometimes."

"That's comforting." Lisa rolled her eyes and looked around.

"You think we lost General Tosen?" She asked finally, noting that the two love sick hump bunnies weren't going anywhere any time soon.

Stark had dragged Ryu somewhere else more private, and she was actually thankful for that. The poor kid wasn't used to all of this sexual attention.

Grimm sniffed the air and listened. "I think he is looking in a different section of the building. So… we've probably got fifteen minutes before he catches us."

"Yes! So we can spar without him watching!" Lisa laughed maniacally, causing Grimm to look at her funny. "What?"

"Nothing." Grimmjow slowly smiled. "You want to play dirty, do you?"

"It's the only way to play." She returned his smile. With that, they took off towards the training rooms.

Lindor sighed, "You gonna let them go?"

Kaname sighed and came out from the shadows. "For now. But if he does something stupid, I am going to remove something more valuable of his than his arm."

Lindor whistled softly. "That's harsh."

"Justice on rapists is not harsh." Kaname commented.

"He ain't a rapist, Kaname. You know that. Plus… I gather she wants some fun too, so it's not just him." Lindor admonished lightly. One didn't want to piss off a General.

"Still… he better have the ability to stop, or I'll stop it forever." Kaname said silkily, making Lindor a little afraid for his own manly parts.

* * *

Ryu moaned as Stark basically pounded him into the mattress, dry humping him with soft growls of dominance and obsessive clarity. Ryu whimpered and mewled as Stark bit his neck and licked a stripe up to his ear. Wait a second, how had his shirt gotten removed?

"Oh fuck!" Ryu screamed out as the overly zealous Espada reached down to tweak his nipple rings.

They were so sensitive. And with Stark's hot mouth on his neck, suckling, and his hips being jerked against… his cock being driven onto… it made him clench his eyes shut and his mouth go agape. He let out a loud shriek as he came against the Espada, arching his back. Stark shuddered and panted against his new lover's neck. He bit down hard on the teen's shoulder, humping hard.

And soon the Primera felt his orgasm rip through him, causing him to growl and shudder. The orgasm was explosive and electrical, sending sparks through his whole body. He shivered and moaned against the teen's neck. Soon he let go of the teen's shoulder, gently lapping up the blood that had spilled from the mark.

Ryu panted a few more times before he promptly passed out.

_Gee… he can't even last longer than once? Stark… even I know you aren't that good. _Lilinette bit out jealously in Stark's mind.

Stark snarled and bit back viciously, _Shut the fuck up about him, Lilinette. He's mine. _The fervor in his mental chastisement silenced and surprised Lilinette. Stark usually was very even tempered, only getting mildly annoyed, not pissed.

So what was it about this new visitor that had him possessive and bitchy?

* * *

Night never felt so happy than she did right now. Aizen had been the attentive teacher, showing her how to dance to slow and a bit upbeat music. The last half hour was fun, and he had made it fun to laugh at herself when she made mistakes. He even chuckled on occasion, which would send thrills and desire into her being in hot surges. Aizen was now slow dancing with her, his arms wrapped around her waist and his face buried in her spiked hair. She had her hands on his shoulders, though once in a while she would reach up and tease his hair with her fingers. His hair was so soft and a bit silkier than she'd imagined.

This was bliss, and though she knew good times never lasted very long, she would treasure this memory forever. It was here and now, and for tonight she could just enjoy herself with him. Aizen chuckled softly as she accidentally stepped on his toes. Thank God they were wearing sandals.

She muffled a sorry, her musical laughter sending red hot want into his groin. "You're getting better." He whispered huskily into her ear.

"Yea right!" She snarked, rubbing her nose on his shoulder. Oh, his scent was driving her crazy!

"I'm serious." He said softly, gently biting her ear in punishment of doubting him. He licked the sting away, effectively causing Night to shiver.

As the song ended, he took her hand and led her back to the balcony edge. He asked softly, "What other kinds of dancing do you know?"

Night blushed slightly before mumbling, "Exotic."

He slowly smiled. "I might have to have you teach me."

"You sure? I mean, I'm not the best teacher and don't get me wrong, you'd look amazing doing it but…." She was cut off by him pulling her into his arms and kissing her gently on the lips.

He looked into her eyes and whispered, "I am very sure you'd be fine teaching me. I'm a fast learner."

_I bet you are. _She thought, feeling even more aroused. This guy was really playing with her defenses, and they both knew that each other knew it.

She buried her head into his chest, feeling very warm and very… safe. In fact, she hadn't felt this safe in a long time. "How long has it been since you've fed?" His question really didn't surprise her. What surprised her was how long it took for him to ask.

She said softly, "About twenty hours now."

"You need to feed." He whispered gently, stroking her back in soothing circles.

"I know." Night sighed and looked up into his eyes. "I was going to go hunt after we are done here."

"Why would you hunt? There aren't any demons here." He watched as the conflicting emotions went across her face.

"Yes… but there are some lesser Arrancars that aren't supportive of you…." She let her sentence fade and she averted her eyes.

"None of them could feed you what I can." He said, his voice causing mayhem to start in the pit of her stomach.

She kept her eyes down saying, "Yes… but I didn't know if you knew… or if you'd want to do that… it means you'd be…."

He gently lifted her chin with his fingers. He stared into her eyes and he said huskily, "Reiatsu bound to you, correct?"

"Yes. And then you'd be dependent on me and I on you…." She blinked and tried to gather her thoughts to not sound so insulting. "Plus… would you want to need me?"

"I think I've already gotten past that point, my young huntress." With that he kissed her passionately, drawing a gasp and moan from Night.

* * *

_*Gotta love those cliffies. I promise to upload another chappy tonight if the website will let me. XD Thank you again for your lovely reviews.*_


	18. Chapter 17

_*Just a bit of a reminder that this story is M, for Mature. That means sexual situations between M/F and M/M are here. So, please be responsible. If you ARE of age and don't want to read smut, read something else. XD Thank you again to all of my lovely readers and reviewers. This chapter DOES contain Mature sexual content.*_

**Chapter 17: Reiatsu Bonding**

* * *

Night felt as though her whole body was going to explode in electric combustion. The kiss in Sosuke's mind hadn't been near this level! His reiatsu was so overwhelming that it was hard not to jump him for it and his body. But she knew deep in her heart that he was the dominant of the two. Both were dominant, but she WANTED to be dominated by him and only him. His tongue plunged into her mouth again and again, teasing and mating with her own. She let out sexy mews, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Aizen felt his control slipping. He trembled as his reiatsu fluctuated like there was no tomorrow. He still couldn't seem to stop himself. He tried to reason with himself that it was because she would heal him possibly if they reiatsu bonded. But even that reason had faults. There was never a guarantee that he would be cured if she did so. He suddenly let out a guttural moan, pulling her tighter into his arms.

Night felt his arousal on her stomach, but this time she didn't do anything about it. Soon, he pulled one of her hands off of his neck and moved it to his arousal. She let out a soft purr as he rubbed her fingers on it. He let out a soft moan, from the deepest parts of his throat. He pulled away from the kiss and looked into her eyes.

"Feel what you are doing to me, Night." He whispered huskily.

Acting on impulse she rubbed the palm of her hand on the tip of him, shocking him through the fabric of his pants with intense hot want. He shuddered and his body bucked involuntarily. He bit out a soft curse in a different language (French), the action causing Night to bite her lip with desire. He looked into her eyes and whispered in soft pants, "Reiatsu bond with me, my huntress… and you'll never regret it."

Night rubbed a bit harder against his tip, and then met his lips as they crashed down on to hers. The kiss was even more passionate than the last, and she couldn't take much more of the torture. She broke the kiss, though he tried to stop her from doing so. She then backed him up against the rail, thanking God that Las Noches was made up of spirit particles and not wood. She moved her mouth across his collarbone; getting a little annoyed with his white jacket and shirt.

Aizen barely had enough sense to understand what problem she was encountering and he reached up and pulled his shirt and coat away, exposing his throat and a good portion of his well-toned chest. Night gave him one last chance by looking into his eyes. He looked so sexy holding his shirt and coat away from his skin. But she wanted to be one hundred percent sure that he wanted this just as much as she did.

He breathed out, "My huntress, make me yours."

She leaned up and kissed him soundly, muffling his moans with her mouth as she resumed rubbing his thick erection. Finally, when he was very close to coming, she broke the kiss and trailed her mouth down his neck to the juncture right above his collarbone. He let out a ragged moan as she licked and suckled his throat. And then she bit, sinking her fangs into his throat.

Aizen let out a guttural cry that echoed off of the desert, his reiatsu spiking. Oh, he tasted better than a hundred large demons combined! His reiatsu was delicious and she fed from it, feeling ecstasy and strength escalade in her body. Aizen jerked against her hand, his arm tightening around her. His other one joined the previous one and pressed her up against him more. She fit just right molded to him. He bit out another cry as another wave of white, hot pleasure ripped through him. He suddenly felt his reiatsu spike even more if that was possible.

And then… he felt the mingling of hers and his and he shivered, mouth open, drawing deep gasps of air into his lungs. His heart was beating nearly out of his chest. He closed his eyes and winced as another wave of intense desire wracked through him. "Night…." He whispered, shivering. He suddenly felt hunger… raw hunger to be fed.

"Night…" He whispered again, feeling a ravenous hunger for her.

Night finished feeding, feeling a bit tipsy and drunk from his overly rich supply of reiatsu. She nuzzled his neck and closed the wounds with her tongue. She reached up and cut a shallow wound on her neck with an elongated claw. He wouldn't have the fangs until after he first fed from her. After tonight, then he'd have them whenever they needed to feed.

The smell of her blood and leaking reiatsu caused Aizen to shiver. She smelled so good and he wanted her so bad. She had withdrawn her hand from his arousal, him having three orgasms in the space of three minutes already. He suddenly felt aroused again, and he gently rubbed his body against hers, reveling in the feel of her curves. He bent his head to her willingly offered throat and licked experimentally. She tasted exquisite… better than the richest chocolate or the finest champagne. She was addictive. He covered her wound with his mouth and sucked.

Night let out a soft cry as she felt a hot spike of desire drive itself home. Unconsciously, she found herself straddling him. How had they ended up on the floor? She didn't know, but at this point she could care less. As he continued to feed, she started dry humping his arousal. It felt so good and he was actually helping her out by meeting her thrusts with ones of his own. He sucked again and caused her to climax hard, grinding against his erection. He growled softly, deep in his throat, and sucked again.

She climaxed again, shuddering as the high in her reiatsu soared alarmingly. Finally, something inside of him telling him that she was nearly passed out from desire caused Aizen to lick her wound clean and nuzzle her neck. He was better now, though there was still a bit of hunger in his body. He wouldn't be able to feed on her reiatsu again until the following morning, after she got some rest. How he knew that, he didn't know… and he didn't question it. It wasn't that she had a smaller level of reiatsu than him… hell… the woman had tons that almost matched his. It was the fact that she hadn't slept but two hours the night before. How he knew that… again, he didn't know.

He could hear her heavy breathing and knew by her scent that she was still highly aroused. He moved his head up and kissed her. She moaned and rubbed against his arousal which was still very much at attention. He slowly grinned as she broke the kiss. He had already had three orgasms and she'd only had two. He'd just have to do something about that.

If there was one thing his lovers never complained about was him being very attentive and very good in bed. She smiled back at him a bit before meeting his mouth with another kiss. He suddenly had enough energy to tangle with twenty captain shinigami or more. He stood up slowly, taking her with him and carrying her to his bedroom which was conveniently located right next to the balcony. He gently laid her on his bed of the softest silk sheets and suede covers. He gently ran a finger down the middle of her chest, making her squirm slightly for him.

He bent over her and kissed her lips. He wanted to make her come a few more times before he would let her sleep. She was tired, though she probably wouldn't admit it, and he wanted her fully rested for tomorrow. He moved himself to settle in between her legs, thankful for once that the woman he was with had loose fitting pants on. He softly growled as she wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing him closer to her desire.

Burying his face into her neck he tried to calm himself. This was about his woman and what she needed, not him. Biting his lip he took in several deep breaths before kissing her again. He managed to snap his fingers and put a sound and physical barrier around the room. He didn't want any unexpected visitors.

* * *

Gin walked Jade back to her room a little after midnight. They really couldn't tell, because the moon never set in Hueco Mundo. Jade was a bit hungry for reiatsu, but she kept that to herself, figuring that once everyone was asleep, her and her friends if they weren't otherwise occupied would go and hunt for arrancars.

Little did she know that all of her friends where otherwise occupied. As she entered the sitting room, she noticed that none of her friends were there. Their reiatsu were absent from this end of the palace. She gave Gin an apologetic smile. "I guess I'll have to hunt by myself."

"Ah, that's right. You haven't fed since you got here. Am I correct?" Gin said in his eerie seductive voice.

"Yes. I usually hunt alone unless we all get together, but I thought that since we were in a new place, all of us would hunt together." She shrugged. "Looks like everyone else is with their…." She cut herself off and quickly put in, "Hosts." Whew, that was a close one. She had almost said the word 'mates'.

Gin caught the slip and hugged her to him playfully, his arms around her stomach and his chin on her shoulder. "What were you really going to say, Jade?"

Jade blinked. "You don't miss much, do you?"

"No, I don't." He nuzzled the back of her neck, her hair teasing his nose. "Don't tell me you are going to change the subject?"

She should. She really should. But something told her that she could tell him anything and he wouldn't tell a soul. Could she trust him after only meeting him today? He was her mate, but… would he reject her if she told him the truth? She sighed softly and puzzled through her mind.

Gin patiently waited, not minding it one bit. He liked confusing people. In fact, he had always been good at that. He always seemed to keep people guessing about him. Could they trust him? Could they put their lives in his hands? Could they trust their hearts to him?

Where had that thought come from? He sighed softly and decided to relieve the woman of her distressful thoughts. "I know! I'll go with you on your hunt."

She turned in his arms so she could face him. She arched an eyebrow. "You really want to?"

"Of course! I am highly interested in how skilled you are." He grinned and pushed a few wayward strands of hair away from her face. "Plus, I know I'll probably enjoy it."

"Ok… but you'll have to keep up. I am a fast huntress." She smiled.

"Don't worry about me. Where I come from we are all trained to hunt." She gave her a secretive smile. "So, I may surprise you with how fast I can be."

* * *

_*Breathes and smiles evilly. Yes, I do have the next two chapters back from my beta. I might post one tomorrow, OR... if some peeps want me to post it tonight, let me know in your reviews. The more reviews, the more I post. XD*_


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: The Hunt and a Playful Spar**

* * *

Jade never got the chance to ask what it was Gin's people hunted, for he pulled her to him and kissed her in the blink of an eye. It was a chaste kiss but it set fire through her veins none the less. He pulled away and picked her up as if she weighed less than a feather. Jade squeaked slightly, not used to being off the ground in someone's arms.

"Would you like me to demonstrate?" Gin smiled.

_Gee… he could have asked me before he picked me up. _Jade thought but gave him a nod.

"Wrap your arms around my neck and hang on tight." Gin told her, feeling the strangest urge to show off.

She did as she was told and he asked. "You ready?"

"Yes." She nodded.

Gin then shunpo'd through the castle, holding the frazzled overwhelmed woman securely in his arms. Soon, they were outside and further away from the palace than she would have dreamed of being. He stopped and gently put her back on solid ground. She wobbled a little and gave him a shaky bemused smile. "Wow, Gin. How did you do that?"

He threw his hands up in the air and shrugged like a little kid, "We all learn it in the Soul Society. It's called Shunpo."

"That's the place you are from, huh?" At his nod, she thought for a moment. Finally, she smelled a horde of reiatsu bearers nearby. "Damn… who is letting off such reiatsu?"

Gin smiled, feeling a bit glad he'd brought her to the equivalent of a menos forest only for Arrancars. These Arrancars were useless and didn't really follow Aizen's rule. Every once in a while he and Kaname had been sent to destroy a band of Arrancars like these so Aizen could flex his claws in Hueco Mundo. It also gave the two Generals time to practice with their Zanpakutos to keep in shape. He figured why not have Jade feed on these Arrancars? There would always be another band of rebels to replace them, so why not?

Jade gaped at several weird looking Arrancars came into view. There must have been over a hundred. She gave him a brisk nod before switching into her huntress form. Gin watched with a mixture of amusement and awe as the red dragon took off running towards the lesser Arrancars. _No wonder they call themselves hunters. _Gin thought as he watched her slay several Arrancars one after the other and sometimes three or four at a time. Eventually though, when she noticed that the slain ones disappeared immediately after dying, she grabbed a large dying one and bit down on its throat, her eyes gleaming bright jade in the desert night.

Gin arched an eyebrow. _Weren't they not supposed to do that? _That was curious. Maybe that was the only way she'd be able to feed, but still. Wasn't that really dangerous and taboo for shifters to drain the reiatsu out of creatures before they died?

Soon, the Arrancar gasped its last breath and disappeared. Seeing this caused the other remaining Arrancars to bolt for the sand dunes. Jade shivered slightly and shook herself off, her hunger still gnawing at her insides. The large dude had quite a spirit level for someone at the opposite end of the spectrum from Gin, but she was still hungry. Now… if she had fed from him…. She forced her thoughts away from going down a very dangerous route.

Shinzo pouted and sulked at the back of Gin's mind and he sighed. Looks like he'd have to have some fun as well. He smiled at Jade. "Shinzo wants to play too. Do you mind?" He motioned to his sword's hilt.

She gave him a toothy dragon grin before nodding. _Let's get the party started. _She thought and bolted after the fleeing Arrancar, Gin hot at her heels.

* * *

Grimmjow laughed as he charged the woman in front of him with his Arrancar Zanpakuto. She parried nicely with her spear, matching his grin for one of her own. They had been at it for nearly half an hour and none of them had noticed that Kaname hadn't found them yet.

"Good, nice one!" Grimmjow praised. "But I still want to see what you can do with that nifty inner power of yours!"

"You sensed it, Grimmy?" Lisa asked, her grin slightly fading. _Shit… they weren't supposed to know about that. The inner demon…._

"Hell yes! I'm surprised Aizen-sama didn't bring it up at supper." He twisted around and lunged from the side, nearly skewering her. "He was more interested in your Mates of Being."

Lisa barely deflected his blade. Lisa warily looked at Grimmjow, all mirth faded away. "So you guys can feel it? Like we can feel your reiatsu?"

"Yea. It feels a little like that, but not quite." Grimmjow parried her next attack. "Tche… if you don't want to show me, that's fine. I just won't be able to take you seriously if you don't."

Lisa glared at him and lunged, carefully avoiding his glancing blow. Finally she skidded to a stop near the back wall of the arena. She turned towards him and sighed, "I really don't have the right to tell you or show you about that."

"What do you mean?" He asked, walking up to her with Pantera slung over his shoulders. He gave her a playful grin. "Does your boss lady friend have the right?"

"She does… but only in emergencies can she reveal our powers." She stuck her spear into the soft dirt of the arena. She crossed her arms around her stomach. "In all honesty, she is the only one who can decide that."

Grimmjow asked, "So, is that because she's your leader?" Grimmjow advanced nearer to her so he could smell her better.

She smelled good… really good. Nice and spicy, and he really was getting turned on by her fighting style. It was nice having a woman with guts to spar with for a change.

Lisa shook her head, "No… it's because she is the strongest and cleverest out of all of us. She's even been certified to lead training classes and she is also working on becoming one of our elite royal guards."

"Hmmm… nice. But…." He put away his Zanpakuto. He then told her silkily, "I'm a cat. And cats find out things people usually don't want them to."

"Cats also get killed by that curiosity." She reminded him.

"Well, at least I'd die doing something I wanted to do." He sniffed the air, puzzled. "Where is General Tosen?"

"I dunno. I forgot all about him." She felt a bit bad about that.

He shrugged. "He'll be fine."

"So… what do you want to do?" She asked, giving him an impish look.

He slowly grinned and gave her a look that would melt a freezer. Lisa trembled slightly and swallowed uncomfortably as Grimmy said softly, "I really want to kiss you till we die of suffocation."

"That all?" She lightly teased and flashed him a smile.

"Naw…" He moved closer to her and leaned in to smell her hair. "I just don't want to end up like last time."

She grinned and said huskily, "I might let you kiss me if you ask me nicely. I promise, I won't kick your ass."

He chuckled and gently engulfed her into his arms. She felt nice and snug there, cocooned in his embrace. He gently maneuvered her to fit into the curve of his hips. Finally he asked softly, "Can I kiss you, Lisa?"

She shivered, feeling hot spikes of desire race through her at the mention of her name rolling of his lips. She whispered, "If you don't, I'll kill you."

He chuckled and brought his lips to hers in an earth shattering kiss, sending both of their wits bolting for cover. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him deepen the kiss, mingling his tongue with hers. He let out a soft growl and gently rubbed himself against her stomach.

All too soon the kisses became wild and passionate, Grimmjow now bracing Lisa's head with his hand so he could get his tongue in her depths even more. Lisa let out a growl of her own and broke away to bite his neck, sucking on the skin there, sending shudders through Grimm's body. He was so hard and it was difficult to hold onto any form of rationality. Finally, he pulled away, panting softly and staring down at Lisa, who looked completely mind fucked. Her head was tilted back and she was giving him one of those 'screw me senseless' looks. Her lips were swollen slightly from his kiss and he started trailing his lips down her chin to the hollow of her throat.

He lightly sucked the area and Lisa suddenly felt her hunger for reiatsu spike alarmingly. She murmured, "Please stop… I don't want to hurt you."

Grimmjow sighed softly and looked into Lisa's eyes. "You haven't fed, have you?"

It was more of a statement, though she answered anyway, "I haven't fed since last night… and it really wasn't that big of a demon. It was more of a snack really."

He nodded and lightly stroked her face with his thumb. She trembled slightly, wondering if he knew about them being mates. His earlier question had indicated yes… but she wasn't sure. He finally said softly, "Hey… it's ok. Really. Go hunt."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Really? You'll let me go?"

"Sure." He shrugged. "It's not like you are a prisoner here. You can go wherever you want."

She gave him a shove. "Don't be an ass."

Grimmjow let go of the girl and rubbed his face tiredly, "I wasn't trying to be."

She reached up and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you. It means a lot to me."

Grimm smiled and watched Lisa pluck her spear out of the ground and leave the arena. He sighed and sat down, taking out his sword. He put it across his hips and he meditated lightly, deep in his thoughts. He didn't look up when Tosen came to sit next to him.

"You did very well, sixth Espada." Kaname said softly, looking around the arena with his sightless eyes.

Grimmjow snorted, "Whatever, General."

"You like her."

"I thought it was obvious."

"It is. I am just stating it out loud. Please humor me."

"Alright. Yea, I like her."

"You are attracted to her in every way."

"Yes."

"You want to be with her for long periods of time."

"Yes."

"She's mated to you."

"I know."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know."

"Will you discuss it with Aizen-sama? He'd want to know."

"Probably."

Kaname stood up and lightly put a hand on the Espada's shoulder. "Grimmjow, Aizen-sama might give you advice, but he is not you. Only you have the power to choose whether or not you want this to be real."

Grimmjow growled softly before saying through clenched teeth, "You think I don't know that?"

Kaname slightly smiled. "I just wanted to make sure. Sometimes you make it hard for people to get through to you. You also make it hard on yourself for being blinder than I am." With that, the man left Grimmjow to his thoughts.

* * *

_*Poor Grimmy, always getting picked on by Tosen. Thank you again everyone for your wonderful reviews. It totally makes my day. *blinks... ok... makes my night, since it's night right now**_


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Thoughts of a Turbulent Mind**

* * *

Aizen gently stroked Night's face as she slept. He had made her come several times before she had nearly passed out from exhaustion. He smiled slowly as she mumbled in her sleep. _She's so sensitive. _He thought, recalling how well she had responded just to his body rubbing hers. He hadn't even taken her clothes off, or touched her skin. Just the sensation of him being in between her legs thrusting lightly had got her over the edge. It made him wonder what it would be like to make love to her.

Withdrawing his thoughts from that dangerous road his mind was bent on going, Aizen gently kissed her forehead. Who would have thought he'd have her in his bed in his arms in less than twenty-four hours from when he'd first met her in his mind? He sighed softly, wishing he could stay the whole night just holding her to him.

It was curious that he felt that way about her. He still didn't know hardly anything about her, and she certainly didn't know much about him. But something had happened during the first kiss they had in his mind and it was bothering him to no end. She was like forbidden fruit, and he didn't care how potentially dangerous she was to him. But then… since when did the king care much about anything?

It was no sense trying to compare Night to Momo. Momo had been a tool to manipulate… to set his plans into motion. Nothing more. Night wasn't someone he could manipulate easily. And the challenge of that made being with her all the more enjoyable and intriguing. And then there was that strange energy that was coming from her. He'd sensed it earlier when she'd invaded his mind.

He wondered if it was something that he could get her to use for him. Sitting up gently, the king disentangled himself from her arms. He didn't want to wake her, so tired as she was. And an exhaustive day it had been for both of them. But more so for her than for him. He closed his eyes and let the sound and physical barrier fall from his room. He reluctantly left her side and left to go clean up. There was no way he was going anywhere without changing his soiled clothes.

Dressed now in another uniform of white trimmed with black, Aizen came to stand next to the bed to observe Night's sleeping form. She was so beautiful, her tussled spiked hair everywhere and her arms wrapped around one of his pillows. He folded his black sash about his waist and leaned down to give her forehead another gentle kiss. He really loathed leaving her, but he had many things to attend to.

The life of the king wasn't as glamorous as most people wanted to believe. Thank heavens his hunger had died down ever since she fell asleep… as if his body knew that she wasn't putting off as much reiatsu in her dormant state. It brought to question so many things, but he would have to discuss things with her later. He left her side and gently closed the door behind him, leaving it unlocked.

It would do no good to lock her in. Though there might come a time for that, but for now… he would allow her free reign over his palace. There were certain exceptions to the rule of course. There were always some forbidden places that she wouldn't be able to go unless he was with her personally. But for the most part, she could go where she liked. An uncaged animal felt better than a caged one. And she had said that it would be physically impossible for a mate to make his corresponding mate unhappy… for if that mate did… then he too would feel the unhappiness.

So, he wanted her to feel as at home here as possible. He briefly gave some orders to the two guards at the door. Afterwards, he walked down the hall, sensing where everyone was. Several Arrancars that had bad insomnia were sparring in one of the training halls. Others slept lightly in their rooms. Grimmjow was sulking in his room, probably thinking about Lisa. Ryu was with Stark, though he was asleep, probably exhausted from the events of today. Ulquiorra and Max were otherwise occupied with themselves, which really didn't surprise him. He had to admit that the usually stoic fourth Espada was having a hard time with his own emotions concerning Max. It was fun to watch unfold. Especially since Ulquiorra was such a nihilist… not wanting to care about anything at all.

Kaname was monitoring the security systems and keeping an eye on Gin and Jade as they hunted minor Arrancars. Lisa was on her way to meet them, probably having sensed Jade's reiatsu nearby. He smirked in amusement, wondering if it was excitement or content that he was feeling from Gin's spiked reiatsu. If so, he wondered briefly if he should join the hunt.

_No… best not do that. _He figured he could let those two progress on their own. Gin was doing a fine job with Jade in getting her defenses down. He wondered if Gin had come to the same conclusion as he had at dinner. If so, was he perhaps indulging Jade a bit with hunting? He always liked that about Gin. The man was very cunning and clever and always wanted to keep people guessing. It's why he singled him out all those years ago to join his cause.

His persuasion of Kaname had been a bit more difficult, but he was one to relish challenges, so it was worth it. Grimmjow, Stark, and Ulquiorra, the last remnants of the old Espada class he had decided to reward them with a bit more power for the only reason to have master Espada. He wanted to have more Arrancars to be of Shinigami royal guard level. Zeros were just the start. Now that he had an opportunity to survive his disease, he could make more plans. And plot he did as he went to the throne room. He gently drew his Zanpakuto and looked at it. What if there was a way to combine two individual's spirit energy with that of a Zanpakuto? If that were able to happen, then his Arrancar would be invincible. But… he'd have to get those five visitors to sway to his plans.

If he could do that, then maybe they could make their own Hogyoku without the need of Urahara's assistance. He wondered if there was a way to make several, not just one other Hogyoku. So many possibilities were opening up to him. He gently traced the sharp blade of his sword.

_You have a lot on your mind lately. _Kyokasuigetsu teased at the back of his mind.

_Great minds don't stop thinking. _He replied.

The Zanpakuto was silent for a moment before mentioning, _One would think that your brain would hurt thinking so much._

Aizen chose to ignore that. Eventually Kyokasuigetsu stated, _I like her._

The king sighed softly and said, _I figured you would._

_She's very much like you, Aizen-sama. One false move and it'd be over for us. _The sword warned him gently.

Aloud, Aizen murmured, "I know." But that was what intrigued him the most about her. That and the fact that she had him nearly lose control several times tonight.

Of course there were many other things that interested him in her, but those two reasons came up at the top.

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The next morning dawned bright and early for Night. She yawned largely and snuggled more into her pillow. The same pillow that smelled of her mate. She cracked open one eye and gasped, nearly shooting up off the bed. The large paned windows had a view of a beautiful sunrise on a beach. _What the hell? _She wondered, looking around. Sosuke must have left during the night, which really didn't surprise her. The man had an adrenaline rush to rival Lisa on ten cups of coffee. Standing up, Night curiously went to the windows and looked out. Yep… it really looked like a beach. She could even hear the soft roar of the waves crashing against the shore.

Damn… how long had it been since she'd been to the beach? It had been when her family had still been around, nearly ten years ago. She pressed her hands on the glass, knowing that the beautiful view wasn't real. There had been no oasis in what she had seen of Hueco Mundo. But, it still was peaceful and nice to have something to watch.

"Do you like Aizen-sama's choice?" Gin Ichimaru asked from the doorway.

She nearly jumped out of her skin. How had she not felt his reiatsu upon his entering? She sniffed the air and dropped her hands from the glass. Then she sensed it. Aizen's reiatsu was enriched everywhere in his room. It held enough of it to mask Gin's, though if she concentrated, she could sense his barely. She gave him a small smile.

"Does he have other choices?" She asked a question of her own.

"Yes. But I think this is his favorite to wake up to." Gin gave her that eerie fox like smile as he moved more into the room.

"I can see why. It's very peaceful." She rubbed her face and turned to look at him. "General Gin…."

"Please, call me Gin. General makes it feel like you are taking orders from me, and you are certainly NOT." He grinned. "Plus, my Lord Aizen would kill me if he thought I was trying to convey that."

"Ok…Gin." Night amended before asking, "Has Lord Aizen told you about….?" She left it hanging, trying to think of the right words to say.

Gin came over and shook his head slowly. "If you mean has he told anyone about you two reiatsu bonding, then no. Not yet… but everyone felt it last night. Only the ones you've told about the bondings know that was what it was."

"Oh…." She rubbed her arms, feeling slightly chilled. Why did she suddenly feel so ravenous? She had almost drunk herself stupid on his reiatsu last night, why should she get so hungry so fast? What she had read of reiatsu bonds was that mates would have to feed off each other's reiatsu at least twice a day, depending on the strength of both mates. She slightly trembled, a bit overwhelmed. Did that mean that since Aizen and herself were extremely strong, they'd have to feed more than two times a day?

"Oh, I almost forgot." He gave her a widened grin. "Jade told me to come find you and tell you to 'get your ass back to the apartment so that everyone knows that you are alright.'"

She grinned, momentarily forgetting her troubling thoughts. "She said that, huh?"

"For the most part. On my way over here, Aizen-sama instructed me to convey his apologies of not being here when you woke up. He had pressing matters to attend to." He watched her blush slightly and wrap her arms around her waist. He was always curious why women did that. Maybe, it was because they felt insecure otherwise and it was a nervous habit.

Night nodded, "I figured as much." She gave him a big shit-eating grin. "He wouldn't be a king if he didn't have over a thousand things to do." She looked around a bit more before finding her discarded black silky jacket pullover. "Lead the way, Gin."

"It'd be my pleasure." Gin chuckled softly. Night may be insecure when it came to Aizen (who wouldn't?) but when it came to anything else, she was ready to face the world kicking and screaming.

_How very cat like of her. _And for some strange reason, Gin was reminded of Grimmjow. Of course the two were total opposites when it came to most things, but both had the same view on facing the world. He led her down several halls to the visitors' apartment. He gently opened the door and ushered Night in. He let out a soft snicker as Lisa glomped the woman in a bear like hug.

"You idiot! We were so worried about you!" Lisa nearly shouted her head off, causing Night to wince slightly at the resulted ringing in her ears.

"Sorry." She said and hugged her friend back. "It wasn't like I planned anything to happen."

Jade rolled her eyes. "How could you not have planned it? Reiatsu bonding is very serious stuff, girlie."

Max nodded, taking turns with Jade for a hug with their leader. "Yes, and now you two are very connected. What would happen to you if this guy turns out to be a jackass?" Ryu then tackled her and hugged her tightly.

Night gave Gin an apologetic grin. "They are really not this mean about people."

"It's quite alright. I probably would feel the same way if I was you." Gin grinned. "My lips are sealed."

"Thank you Gin-sama." Jade hugged him and buried her face into his chest.

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_*Uh-oh, looks like Night is in big doo-doo. Can her friends forgive her? Thank you so much for your lovely reviews. Please keep them coming. XD*_


	21. Chapter 20

_*I love my beta. She is taking the summer off from school, so that means faster updates!*_

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**Chapter 20: A Recap of a Night of Bliss**

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Night's mouth fell open in shock. She turned to look at Lisa. The girl and Max were rolling their eyes in disgust. "Dude, Jade, can the emotional crap. You're making us all very uncomfortable." Ryu nodded vigorously and sat down stiffly next to Lisa. "Totally."

Jade blushed and mumbled a sorry before calming herself down, and releasing Gin from her vise grip like hold. Gin good naturedly gave her a peck on the cheek. Night rubbed her face and sat down on one of the sofas. She was really starving, and it wasn't just because she hadn't had breakfast yet. Was Sosuke feeling the same way? She wondered.

Her friends sat down, while Jade politely asked Gin to excuse them on a private moment. He nodded and left the room, gently closing the door on his way out. Jade put her hands on her hips and joined Lisa, Ryu, and Max in glaring at their leader. After a bit of squirming, Night sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry. I really didn't plan on reiatsu bonding with him." She looked at her friends pleadingly, "Trust me, if I had known earlier I would have told you guys."

"Was that all you guys did?" Max asked softly, taking Night's hand in his. He really didn't want Night to feel like she had no privacy, but he wanted to make sure that everything was ok.

Night blushed and muttered, "Not exactly."

"Ok, I am outta here." Ryu left the room with a huff. He totally was having issues being horned out himself. He did NOT need to hear about someone he considered more like a mother to him's sex life.

"Do tell." Lisa said with a wry smile.

Jade said softly, "I'll go fix some tea. You want some biscuits? They aren't that bad, and there are some left over from breakfast."

"Sure." Night nodded. She looked at her other friends, knowing Jade and Ryu didn't really want to hear any of the nitty gritty details. The woman felt like privacy was privacy, no matter what. She'd get the toned down version later from Max. And Ryu… well… he was Ryu."Well… when everyone left after dinner, Sosuke…."

Everyone, including Jade on the way to the kitchenette raised an eyebrow about their leader being on first name basis with the King. But they let her continue, not commenting. "He told me to stay for a bit."

"Yea… I remember hearing that as Emerald and me left the dining room." Max nodded and Lisa prompted, "Continue."

"So, we went out to a very beautiful balcony that overlooked the desert. It was really peaceful out there and for a bit we just enjoyed it. After a while music started playing below by some musician Arrancars. Then, Sosuke asked me to dance." She left out the tidbit that he had really demanded, not asked her to dance.

Lisa sniggered. "Like what kind of dancing?" Knowing full well what kind of style Night excelled in.

"Slow dance and traditional." As she finished saying that, Jade returned with the tea and biscuits. She then smiled at her. "And you always scorned that kind of dancing."

"Yea, yea… but I told him that I didn't have a clue on that kind of dancing, and he showed me how." She smiled slightly, eyes far away. "He was a very good teacher too. It was really fun."

"And?" Max prompted with a smile.

Jade left the room to go take a shower. Night nibbled on a biscuit, though she really wasn't hungry in the physical sense. "Then after the music ended, we talked a bit. And, then, he asked what kind of dancing I prefer and I told him. He then told me that I should teach him sometime."

Lisa nearly snorted up her tea and laughed. "I bet that was surprising. I didn't know Mr. High and Mighty starch pants was into that kind of thing."

"And?" Max prompted again, shooting Lisa a glare, which she ignored.

"Then, I told him that I wasn't a very good teacher and he pulled me to him and told me that he was a fast learner and I would be a great teacher." She bit her lip, shivering slightly at the memory of his kiss. "Then, he kissed me."

"Wow… really romantic." Lisa smiled. "He is a charmer."

"Go on." Max again prompted, this time squeezing Night's hand.

"And then things got a bit out of control. After the kiss he asked me when the last time I'd fed." Night was getting a bit more nervous.

Lisa rubbed her face. That's what Grimmjow had asked her, but _they_ hadn't reiatsu bonded.

"I told him it had been about twenty hours and thought that I would go hunt after our 'date'." Night continued, sighing softly. "He then told me that he could give me much more than what any Arrancars would give me."

"Manipulative bastard." Lisa grumbled, though she had to hand it to the King. He was a King for a reason.

"Yeah, no kidding." Max said softly and urged his friend to continue.

"And I asked him if that was what he wanted… and why." Night fidgeted with her free hand. "And he told me that it was… and that he wanted nothing more than to bond with me and that he was extremely attracted to me."

"So… he really didn't answer the question 'why'." Lisa murmured.

"No… but he didn't have to." She bit her lip. "He knew. He knew that we were mates. He knew it as soon as I mentioned it at dinner."

"So… in other words, the King knew about how vulnerable you are right now and he agreed to help you out. That's all well and good of him… but my question is what's in it for him?" Max asked softly.

Lisa nodded. "Yea, you don't get someone like him to go all out for you sweetie unless he has something to gain. If he'd known you for a few weeks, that'd been different, but he'd only known you for less than four hours at the time."

Night nodded. "I know. I also know what he gained."

"What?" Max asked.

"More power. He also gained someone he could fall back on if the going gets rough. He also gained a very powerful alliance to our world." Night smiled slightly, surprising her friends.

"Damn… how did you get all that? Most mates are blind to their significant other's faults." Lisa grinned, having a bit more pride in her leader.

Night gave them both a mischievous smile of her own. "When he bonded with me some of our intentions got transferred to one another. But even before that, I could sense that he wanted me for a reason. I also know that he has the guts to go all the way if he wants to. But I'm not sure if I should let him…."

"He's going to have to. He doesn't have a choice now." Max smiled. "I have a sneaky suspicion that he is scheming at something big. And he wants us as allies to support him. I wonder what it is that is making him ask for help like this."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Lisa agreed.

Night rubbed her face and smiled tiredly. "He wouldn't be a shrewd and cunning boss if he wasn't."

"Ok… getting back to your night out with the King…." Lisa prompted.

Night rolled her eyes. "Ok… since you won't let me go otherwise." She put her arms around her stomach and continued, "When I bonded with him, he… came several times."

Lisa shot her a knowing look. "With that kind of reiatsu level on that guy I would be surprised if he didn't."

"And?" Max was really getting tired of saying that word.

"And then he did the same with me… only he seemed to want to give me way more pleasure, so he took me to bed." At Max's scowl, she hastened to explain, "He didn't take advantage of me. He just made sure I came more than he did. Afterwards, he held me in his arms as I fell asleep. That's all he did."

"Wow…. He is a gentleman isn't he?" Lisa asked softly, sharing an amused look with Max. "I'm impressed. Not only did he see to your pleasure more than his own, he didn't want to mess up a good thing. You've got yourself a winner."

Max whispered, "That's not all is it?"

"No…." Night started fidgeting again. "It's getting hard not to breathe without wanting him."

"Reiatsu bonding is a challenge for you both. It's very serious, and now that we've heard the whole story, I can understand both your reasonings to do this. But… if you feel this way about him with just reiatsu bonding, what are you going to feel like when you Soul bond?" Max pointed out.

"You're starving sweetie… I can tell." Lisa gently took hold of Night's hands as Max released one. "I think you should go to him. The first week is usually the worst for the female. After that… he will start coming to you."

"How did you find out so much about bonding?" Night asked, a bit surprised, but grateful of her friend's advice.

"We've all been having some issues with our mates lately, so we took Jade aside and asked her to tell us what all she knew about bonding. She knew a hell of a lot more than Max, and that's putting it mildly." Lisa smiled and squeezed her hands. "Go wash up. Then go to him."

"Afterwards, I'm going to nail you all down and ask about your problems with your mates. It's only fair since I had to spill my guts on mine." She smiled sweetly and left to go shower.

"You know, I think with a temperament as steely as the boss's, I think King Aizen will have his hands full." Max snarked, rubbing his face tiredly.

"I know, right?" Lisa gave him a maniacal grin. "She's not the only one. Ulquiorra's going to have to be tortured in order to voice a kind word in your favor, let me tell ya. And Ryu with Stark as well. Boy those two went at like fuck bunnies."

"What was that?" Max gave her a small smack on the arm. "You are one to talk. Grimmjow's going to have to die before he gets in your pants."

"Shut up!" She blushed, feeling like that was a very wrong statement. She still hadn't told anyone that Grimm and her had kissed. Oh, she had told Jade a little bit about last night, but not much. Max had been the one to explain everything in gory detail.

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_*Awwww poor sexually frustrated peeps. That's ok. They will get what they want soon enough. XD Thank you again for your lovely reviews!*_


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: A Meeting of Espada**

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Aizen had summoned Gin, Ulquiorra, Kaname, Stark, and Grimmjow to report to him on their experiences with their visitors. He stood in the meeting room, sipping his tea as he saw each one file in. After they all sat down, he sat, and he regarded each one with a keen chocolate eye. Each one was holding mixed expressions on their faces. Even the way they sat was different. Subtle changes like that told Aizen much.

For one, Kaname was sitting a bit straighter than usual, though his attention was on all around him. He usually sat to the side to view the whole room… but not today. That usually meant that he was intrigued by what everyone else was going to say about their findings. Then there was Grimmjow, who was the most expressive of the group (as usual).

Grimmjow had his eyes on the table and looked like he was trying to glare a hole into it. His hands were in front of him and he was idly clenching them on the sides of the table. His back was rigid instead of his usual laid back style. He was also tapping his foot nervously. Aizen was vaguely reminded of how similar Ichigo Kurosaki and Grimmjow were. He obviously was conveying that he had a lot on his mind and was trying to muddle through things, but was impatient as always to come to a conclusion that seemed to allude him.

Then, there was Stark, who was very grumpy looking, which meant that he'd stayed up all night doing something with Ryu…. He was lounging in his chair like he really would rather have been in bed.

Gin looked a bit tense, but otherwise didn't show any difference in his facial expressions. He was idly playing with his cup of tea, spinning it lightly around as he looked at everyone else. That usually meant that Gin was a bit confused and wanted to hear what everyone else had to say before he said anything himself.

Lastly there was Ulquiorra. The poor man looked like he hadn't slept a wink last night. His eyes were a bit droopy and he looked flat out exhausted. Though his face was in its normal emotionless mask, he still looked a bit on edge. His hair was a bit mussed and he was looking into the depths of his tea mug. His hands clasped the tea mug and he was sitting a bit more straight than usual. This probably meant that Ulquiorra had emotional problems that he wasn't used to having. He also was a bit nervous about talking about his experience with everyone else.

Oh, yes… Aizen gained a lot just by observing his most loyal group of servants. Finally, he asked, "Kaname… tell us what you've observed of our visitors."

Kaname sighed and started his analysis with no hesitation, "They seem to be very intelligent and truly enjoy their stay here so far. They also are very skilled in all kinds of battle situations and they readily talk about their lives and their hobbies, etc. There is still much to learn from them, case in being their extra energy store within their soul fabric. It's almost like a completely different organism hiding within their soul."

Aizen nodded. "What have you found out about that extra store?"

"It seems to be a mechanism to give them access to an unlimited source of psychic power. It serves as a purpose similar to that of our Zanpakutos. I believe that they only use it when it is absolutely necessary because it is so dangerous to use." Kaname said.

Grimmjow spoke up, "It is a very big secret with them though. I tried to get Lisa to tell me about it last night, but she kinda froze up about it when I mentioned it. Lisa said that only Night was allowed to let them use it, and she would only do it if it was a last resort."

Aizen nodded. "Thank you Grimmjow." He looked at everyone else. "I want us to look into this further. I am very interested in knowing why they want to keep it secret." He turned back to Kaname. "Continue."

Kaname nodded, "Yes, my lord." He displayed a three dimensional holographic analysis of the visitors. "This I got from eighth Espada Lindor, who had managed to get them all scanned without their knowledge. As you can see… they look almost exactly human. The only thing is their brains are formed a bit differently. They use eighty percent of their brain, whereas humans only use twenty. Their ability to shape shift is still under investigation, but I do think it has to do with their reiatsu levels."

With that, Kaname sat down and the data disappeared. Aizen said softly, "Thank you Kaname." He looked over at Stark. "Do you have anything to add with your experience with your own guest?"

Stark yawned slightly and shrugged, "They all seem to have no real interest in the other lesser Espada or the other arrancars. They try to keep the look of 'harmless' in play, probably they were taught to do that whenever they were at a potential enemy's home. They are highly trained and know when they are being watched. As for Ryu… he's very attractive… and makes me feel attentive. Even a bit frustrated. I nearly lashed out at Lilinette last night for just being herself. Other than that, I have nothing to add."

"Predators at heart." Aizen murmured. He turned to Gin. "Gin, what can you let us know about your time with Miss Jade Hollinger?"

If Gin wasn't too happy about going second, he didn't show it. Instead he drawled out, "The lady is very entertaining and a born huntress. She hunts like a very skilled dragon and loves the thrill of the chase. I went with her on a hunt and she took down more than a hundred arrancars by herself in the space of three minutes. She seemed to have a bit of trouble feeding on their reiatsu, probably because arrancars disappear quickly after death. She had to put herself at great risk by feeding from them while they were still alive."

Grimmjow's eyes widened. "She did what?"

"Pay attention, Grimmy." Gin teased before moving on, "After she vanquished about fifty arrancars, Shinzo wanted to come out and play, so I joined her hunt."

"And how did you feel after you joined her in the hunt?" Aizen asked softly, shrewdly watching his General.

Gin didn't feel the need to conceal anything about that, "I felt… very exhilarated. I haven't felt so… alive in many years."

"Not since the war." Grimmjow added, causing everyone to look at him in shock.

Gin nodded slightly, "Yea… not since the war."

"Go on, Grimmjow." Aizen said, sipping his tea. "I yearn to hear from you all how you felt with these intriguing visitors."

Grimmjow felt like he should have shoved a boot in his mouth. He growled bad humoredly and sighed. "I'm not sure how I feel. One minute, it's like I can't get enough of Lisa… and then the next I am scared I'm going to hurt her. I've never been so scared in my life. Not even when Kurosaki put on his hollow mask."

_Wow… that's very interesting. _Gin thought as he listened.

"I feel weird all the time." He frustratingly banged his fist on the table and gritted his teeth. "I feel like an idiot in front of her. I seem to say everything right, but I still end up feeling so stupid. I'm so frustrated, mentally and physically that I can't even think straight!"

"She is your mate… that's why." Aizen said softly, watching everyone's expressions carefully. No one seemed to be surprised, so they probably knew about their own situations as well.

"I know… and it's killing me that I can't seem to find out what to do." Grimmjow snarled.

Ulquiorra spoke up, surprising everyone, "I am going through the same thing, Aizen-sama." He bit his lip. "Max can't seem to keep his hands off of me… and the more I think about him, the more I don't want him to."

Aizen smiled slowly. "What about you, Gin? Are you having the same problems?"

Gin blinked slightly, which told Aizen that he had surprised the man. Gin recovered quickly and answered slowly, "A bit. But for me, I seem to enjoy everything as it comes. Why shouldn't I?"

That was saying a bunch coming from the usually secretive man. Aizen finally said, "So… five of us have been graced to have five mates of being. Do you know what this means?"

No one answered, but then, Aizen was used to answering his own questions. "This means that we can move a step forward into the direction we want to take. The choice is ours where we want the path to take us. I think all of us need to spend more time with our mates and decide what to do by ourselves." His eyes turned hard, though his smile stayed put. "I do have a suggestion, however. If your mates want to bond in any way with you, ask yourself this question: Will they support you in every single way?"

_Ouch… that cracked it down in a nutshell. _Gin translated: _We can do what we want within reason and have to be under Aizen-sama's control. And if we do chose to bond with our mates, they have to agree to follow Aizen-sama. _

Everyone said 'yes sir' and Aizen smiled, his eyes turning back to being normal (which was in between warm and ice cold). "Good. Very well. You may go. We will meet back here in one week."

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_*Ahhh the insights of a very calculative cunning mind. Aizen is my hero XD*_


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: A Gift of Fudge**

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Night was now freshly changed into a short sleeved black shirt, black loose fitting pants, and of course a white sash to represent Aizen's color. Why he chose white made little sense to her. White was sterile, pure… and way too hospital-ish. But, that was ok. At least he hadn't made them all wear those hideous uniforms that all of the arrancars were forced to wear. Some uniforms looked good on people… like Gin's and Kaname's. And Aizen always looked very hot in his. But everyone else looked a bit strange. But, she had to reason that they were in a different world which had different customs.

Still, she was a bit jealous that everyone else had gotten to wear more colorful sashes. Shrugging that thought off, she spiked her hair and put on her trade mark makeup. A bit of eye liner and a bit of lip gloss. She did a few stretches to get the kinks out of her body, not used to sleeping so long in one setting. Her hunger had abated slightly while she had something to do. It also kept her mind off of things. Now, she was finished tying her sandals, and she felt the stab of reiatsu induced hunger and bit her lip.

She wondered if Aizen would let her spar and practice her skills with her friends or maybe some of the arrancar or Espada. She was curious to see what they had to offer. Maybe, she could learn something from them and vice versa. She sniffed the air, catching a wonderful scent that both attracted her and aroused her. _What is that? _She wondered. It wasn't Aizen, or any of the other arrancars, so why did it appeal to her so?

Leaving her room with her saber like sword strapped to her back, she sniffed the air again. It was coming from the kitchenette. She bolted in there without even stopping to say anything to her friends. As soon as she got in there, Jade sniggered. "Took you long enough, girlie."

"What is that wonderful smell?" She asked, her mouth watering.

"Fudge" She grinned. "It's not much, but I added a bit of enriched walnut juice to make up for it. I thought you could take some to your man."

That last sentence caused Night to pause from taking one as a snack. "I don't even know if he likes fudge."

"Still, you could offer them as a gift from us to our host. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be here… or have you forgotten?" She teased.

Night blushed and nodded. She gently wrapped the fudge into some sort of foil and left saying goodbye to everyone else. She looked around, scenting that her mate was just getting out of a meeting. She waited by the door, munching on a piece. She couldn't help herself. It was so good. It had been months since she'd had Jade's homemade fudge. The woman only made it a couple of times a year because of the chocolate shortage, so this was a real treat.

After Grimmjow passed her, he stopped and turned to look at her, sniffing. He looked rather puzzled and adorable, she had to admit. She could see why Lisa liked him already. He walked up to her and asked, "What is that?"

Ulquiorra nearly shoved the guy out of the way. "Move, trash."

"Shut up!" Grimmjow growled before turning back to her questionably.

"Fudge." She smiled. "It's made of chocolate and walnuts (she forgot the rest of the ingredients). Try one?"

He leaned down to sniff the piece she had offered. He arched an eyebrow quizzically, but then took it. "Isn't chocolate poisonous to cats?" Gin Ichimaru smiled as he came out to watch.

"I'm a cat, and I don't get sick. He's a cat and won't get sick, trust me on this. You'll love it." She turned to Ulquiorra, who had stayed to listen. "You want one?"

"I will after I see what reaction Grimmjow has on them." He had the grace to look apologetic.

"Don't worry, I understand." Night smiled knowingly.

Grimmjow was the test subject apparently and was drawing quite a crowd. Some other unknown Espada were crowding around, even a few girl arrancars that looked like bitches. Grimmjow sighed and took a big chunk out of the fudge, chewing it slowly to get all the flavors.

He swallowed and grinned, "This is really good. Does Lisa know how to make this?"

"No… it wasn't her who made it. It was Jade." Night said.

"Well… if Jade made them, then I'll have to try a piece." Gin said with a sneaky grin. He took one and ate it slowly. Well, that broke the ice. If one of the generals was going to eat a piece, then it must be safe. Soon, several arrancar and Espada wanted a piece. She broke off smaller pieces to them, but saved a nice sized one for Aizen.

Stark smiled slightly as he munched on his. "Very divine… I've never tasted anything as good. Do all of you know how to cook this way?" He wondered if Ryu knew how to do it.

Night shrugged, "Sometimes yea… but with Jade… it just comes to her naturally."

"This is really flavorful." Gin said. "Let her know how I feel about it, ok?"

"Why can't you just tell her yourself?" Night asked smiling slowly.

Gin shrugged, "I have business to take care of and will be away for almost the rest of the day."

Night nodded, accepting that. Though none of the visitors had seen anyone do much of anything around here, they all knew they did SOMETHING. Still, she said slowly, "I know you must be in a hurry, but you might want to tell her you are leaving. She'd like to know."

Gin regarded her with a slightly appraised look. Night was more clever than he'd originally thought. "Very well." And he left them, heading towards the visitor's apartment.

Ulquiorra finally took a small piece and ate it very slowly. Eventually he looked a bit surprised. "They are very tasteful. Unusual, but not quite anything I've tried before."

_That coming from him means that they were the best thing he'd ever had. _Night nodded and smiled. _These boys and girls must not get out much. _

Suddenly she felt the presence of Aizen right behind her, and following him, Kaname Tosen. Many arrancars averted their eyes and murmured, "Aizen-sama…."

She turned to look at him and nearly gaped. The guy was even hotter than the day before. He was wearing a red sash instead of his black one, and his white jacket wasn't as formal. It looked almost like a trench coat. It was still lined in black, but it showed off a whole lot more of his physique. He met her eyes and she was suddenly struck by de ja vu. She could almost hear him asking, 'do you like what you see?' Hearing his voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"To what honor do we have you serving us fudge?" He smiled, his eyes showing his amusement.

She grinned, "It was Jade's idea. She wanted to make sure our hosts knew that we enjoy their hospitality."

Aizen inhaled the rich scent of his mate and sighed softly. The hunger deep inside of him was getting worse and it was all he could do not to snatch her and feed from her throat. Still, he was curious about the piece of fudge she was obviously protecting. She saw his look and smiled. "Would you like the last one, Lord Aizen?"

The two bitch arrancars glared daggers into her back, but she didn't care. This was her mate, and she'd kill anyone who wanted it otherwise. Aizen smirked slightly at the formal use of his name. She was being respectful to him in front of his subordinates, and he liked it. He took it from her offered hands and nodded, "I would, thank you."

"Ever the gentleman." Grimmjow grumbled under his breath.

"Indeed." Ulquiorra agreed, before slamming the sixth Espada, "You should take some pointers."

Grimmjow glared at him and grumbled nonsense to himself. Both were a bit shocked when they saw Aizen eat the offering out of his hands. The simple action was so strange. They'd hardly ever seen Aizen acting anything other than mannerly. "She has him hooked." Stark explained softly, snatching a bit of Ulquiorra's fudge portion. "Damn, this is good."

Grimmjow nodded slowly. "I know. It feels a bit funny, doesn't it?"

Ulquiorra didn't have to interpret his words to agree with the statement. "Change always does."

"Girls will do that to you." Stark smiled.

"Yea…. Even I know that." Grimmjow sighed softly, thinking of Lisa.

Ulquiorra blinked, "What will guys do to you?"

Stark smacked a hand over his face. Grimmjow grinned before whistling softly to himself. Stark closed his eyes and groaned. "Man, I so did not need to have that mental picture."

"You are one to talk." Grimmjow said, all seriousness.

"Since when have you been someone of practical action?" Ulquiorra countered, not deterred in the least. "You spying on us clearly indicates that you are not enjoying the experience with your own mate… am I correct?"

Grimmjow snarled at him and uttered a curse not worth mentioning. He stormed off angrily. Stark and Ulquiorra watched him go before Stark laughed. "I think you just struck a nerve there."

"It isn't a fault of mine that he isn't getting as much as he'd like." The green eyed Espada commented.

"Getting as much as he'd like?" Stark grinned. "I think that mate of yours is rubbing off on you."

Those two left, effectively dispersing the rest of the crowd. Aizen finished his fudge and said softly, "I sometimes wonder why people think I should have television here. I have my very own soap operas here."

Night burst out laughing. She couldn't contain a fit of giggles as they came popping up. Aizen smiled, loving the sound of her laughter. Where had the word 'love' come from? He wondered about that, but before he could analyze it, Night told him, "Yeah, and Grimmjow's the jilted drama jock." She didn't say Queen, because of obvious reasons.

Aizen chuckled at that. Soon they both sobered and he watched as she warily avoided his gaze. "Giving all of us fudge wasn't the only reason you came to see me, I hope?"

A fire blazing hotter than the sun went through her body. Desire and absolute want settled deep into her stomach and she shivered unintentionally. Suddenly. she looked down and found her sandals very interesting. Aizen knew that look. Most women had that look when they were very nervous about something. Feeling it was past time that he give them both what they needed, he gently raised her chin with his finger tips.

"My huntress needs something only I can give her." And his lips found hers in a breathless growl.

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_*Since my beta took longer than expected to give me back the chapter, I am also posting another one for you guys in a few mins. Thanks for all of your reviews!*_


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Feeding in the Conservatory**

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Night let out a shuddering mew that sent a hot spike of arousal down to the pit of his stomach. He deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. Their tongues mated with each other in a never ending dance, Aizen sucking and tugging. He finally pulled away, gasping for breath and… control. She buried her head into his chest, nuzzling and softly purring. "Sosuke…." She whispered huskily, drawing a shaky breath from her mate.

Aizen felt it was time to flush out some spying Espada and visitors. He figured that he and his mate had put on a big enough show to please them. He shivered and closed his eyes. Suddenly, the whole palace shook with his warning. Lisa 'eeped' and found herself hugging Grimmjow for dear life behind the huge column where they were hiding. Grimmjow looked very pale, and he was having a hard time breathing. He knew that act was only warning them nicely not to mess with the boss. He suddenly remembered all those times he had run off before thinking and finding himself not being able to breathe or stand, just because Aizen hadn't finished speaking.

Soon, Aizen lifted the warning. Night sniggered into his chest. "You didn't have to do that."

"Oh… I think they've had enough entertainment for one day." He said softly, his eyes hard as he glanced toward where a shocked General, three Espada, and four guests were hiding.

Stark arched an eyebrow, seeing that dangerous look. "I guess that's our cue to beat it." He grabbed a hold of a flustered, scared Ryu and left.

Max nodded, dragging a helpless green eyed Espada with him. Jade glared at Gin. "I thought you said you had important business to take care of."

He shrugged. "I wanted to see you. Besides… you have to admit that it was refreshing to see our Aizen-sama so unhinged."

He walked with her back to her room.

"Yea, but I definitely don't want to get on his bad side, ok? We just got here yesterday and I seriously don't want to end up dead." Jade mumbled and laid her head on his shoulder.

Gin looked down at her and slowly lost his smile. He gently brushed a lock of hair from her face and sighed. "I quite agree." He said seriously.

Grimmjow and Lisa finally noticed what they were doing and broke apart fast. They also noticed that they were the only people remaining behind the column. Lisa quickly took charge and grabbed Grimmy's hand. The sixth Espada suddenly felt himself being pulled in several different directions by her. And finally they were far away from Aizen and his mate.

"You know, Sosuke…." Night mumbled as he pulled her more against him.

"What?" He purred against her hair.

She looked up into his eyes and grinned, "You _are_ one scary man."

"You aren't afraid of me, I hope?" He smiled slowly and leaned in to nibble her lips.

"No. I'm strangely not." She kissed him back.

He withdrew from her and took her hand. He led her to a more secluded place so they could have more privacy. He said softly, "I heard from Gin that you enjoyed the beach scene in the bedroom."

Night blinked. He hadn't said 'his' bedroom, had he? She shook it off, figuring it was not something big. She nodded. "Yes. I used to love going to the beach when I was a kid."

"Used to?" Aizen prompted as he found the greenhouse and led her inside.

She gasped and looked around, distractedly admitting, "Yea. Ever since I got into military school, I never got a chance to go back. We lived nearly four hours from the beach, but every Saturday my family would go there… even in winter."

He walked with her for a while, letting the joy of being with her sink in. Joy? Was that the word he was looking for? Or was it something else? He decided to analyze his feelings later. For now, he was content to have her with him. His hunger was still growing and every now and then he would catch himself staring at her like she was the best looking steak on the planet.

She seemed to be having trouble staying on track as well, but eventually they arrived at where he wanted to go. There in the most secluded area of the green house was a long suede sofa protected by a gazebo over it. There was a set of comfortable pillows and even a few blankets just in case one wanted to sleep out in the 'wilderness'. He sat down, gently pulling her down to sit in a fetal position on his lap. She stretched her legs out slightly and snuggled into his chest.

She couldn't believe she was feeling so nervous about this. She'd reiatsu bonded with him the night before, and she'd been like an alley cat in mating season. So why was she feeling so shy now? Was it because she wasn't as tired? Was it because she felt more connected with him? What was it that made her feel this way?

Aizen seemed to understand for he didn't do anything but hold her and stroke her back in slow soothing circles. The hunger was inside of him, she knew that. And it made her damned impressed that he hadn't acted on the hunger yet. Jade had said someone like him would have it worse, though not until a week after they bonded. Somehow she wasn't so sure about that.

Suddenly, she gave out a little squeak as Aizen found a very sensitive spot at the middle of her lower back. He slowly smiled mischievously. He decided to experiment by lightly stroking that same area with the tip of his fingers. She let out a strangled giggle and tried to squirm out of his grasp, though she still tried to hide her face in his chest. He held her tightly to him, though he moved his fingers to her sides. If he remembered correctly, Momo had been extremely ticklish there.

It was a method he and Gin used to relax their subordinates. Gentle touches and innocent tickling. Although, this was much less innocent. As his fingers touched her sides she shied away from him, but not before giggling, "Stop it."

He nuzzled her neck and murmured, "I'll stop if you stop hiding from me."

She blushed and tried to think of what to do. After she was silent for more than thirty seconds Aizen whispered impishly, "Very well. But don't say I didn't warn you." And with that he grabbed one of her sandaled feet.

Before she realized what was going on, he had taken the thing off and was lightly touching the insides of her toes. She let out a squeal and tried to kick his hand away. He held on gently, but firmly. After she settled down, he boldly stroked the inner part of her heal. Night burst out laughing, still hiding in his chest, but barely.

"Hmmm… still rebellious?" He teased. "I guess we will have to do something about that."

He released her foot and stroked his way up her leg to her hip. He then bent one finger lightly underneath her sash. When she didn't budge, he went further, dipping his hand underneath her shirt. When his fingers found the bare skin underneath her ribs at her side, he attacked. She let out a scream and arched her back, unable to keep her head buried.

He captured her mouth as she threw her head back. She let out a breathless moan as he kissed her mouth with such a passion that it'd melt anyone into orgasmic goo. Her body felt even more sensitive, especially the tips of her breasts and other feminine places. He thoroughly kissed her until her brain was nothing more than a puddle of desire. He gently pulled away and panted lightly.

Apparently he was just as affected as she was by that sinful kiss. She looked into his molten chocolate eyes and she gasped out, "No fair."

He laughed huskily. "Who said life was fair?" Sobering, he asked, "Do you yield?"

"Today… but not ever again." She warned him with mock seriousness.

"I wonder how many times you'll say that…." He teased, gently nibbling her chin.

She let out a hoarse, "Several…." He chuckled. "Then I look forward to each day."

He bent his head and nibbled his way down her neck to the love bite he had given her the night before. He gently suckled it and nipped at it, reveling in the soft purr growls and gasps of high arousal she was letting out. He tortured that spot a little longer before meeting her lips again for another searing kiss. She moaned into his mouth, their tongues thrashing against one another in a fight of dominance. It wasn't until she noticed that she was on her back on the sofa and he in between her legs on top of her, that she yielded. He growled softly, causing all kinds of delicious sensations to flood through her.

Her hunger was rising even more from his scent and his dominant actions. She knew eventually if they were to soul bond, he would become even more dominant. And… the more dominant he became, the more she would be aroused. She felt him gently rub his arousal at the juncture of her thighs. She broke his kiss by gasping out, "Oh my GOD."

He chuckled and whispered silkily, "Yes?"

She had the grace to lightly smack his arm. "You have one serious god complex, don't you?"

He nuzzled her neck and murmured, "It comes with the territory." He then moved slightly above her, unzipping his outer coat and thrusting it to the ground.

"I pity who does your laundry." She laughed, suddenly feeling less tense and more alive.

He shrugged. "I give my arrancars jobs. If they didn't have jobs, they'd go terrorizing who knows what everywhere else." He turned back to her and unclasped his matching white shirt to mid navel.

She just about drooled, seeing how ripped the man was. Oh how she wished he would just strip for her to look at it all. She blushed and was about to lose her self assurance. Aizen seemed to notice, for he murmured, "Do you still like what you see?"

She glared at him and smacked his arm. "Of course I do."

"Good." He then dipped his head to kiss her and soon, his body snuggled back on top of hers. She let out a deep throated moan, sending chills down his spine.

He still couldn't understand why she affected him this way. He knew that they had all warned about the affects of mates needing one another, but he hadn't figured it'd be this soon. Maybe, it was because both of them fit each other perfectly. He felt her nipples strain against the fabric of her shirt, even though she was wearing a bra. He shivered, his body flooding with molten heat and lust.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and let out a soft mew. "Sosuke…." She gasped out as he gently kissed his way to her sensitive right ear. He gave it a playful bite, drawing a strangled moan from her swollen lips. Suddenly, he tensed as she rubbed her body against him unconsciously. He trembled slightly and threw back his head, his eyes closed in almost pure rapture. He could smell her arousal and it was nearly his undoing.

He bent his head and assaulted her ear, teasing and nipping as he slowly calmed his raging hormones down. He had to stay focused, especially with her. She was just like him in dominance and if he showed any sign of weakness in this area, she'd become the one in control.

Like he'd let her do that.

He knew she needed to feed first and figured it was time to stop playing. He felt his hips jerk against her and heard her let out another wanton moan. He slowly smirked and huskily breathed into her ear. "You need to feed, my young huntress…." His voice came out in a purr growl that was altogether way too sexy and erotic for his own good.

He gently kissed her lips and then cradled her head to the skin of his bared collar bone. She shakily licked the hollow in his throat, causing him to softly growl in warning. _Strange… I feel even more dominant. _Aizen knew that he was a very dominant person, but he was feeling even more so with her… especially now.

She let out a cry in pleasure as he jerked his hips again and nuzzled her spiked hair. He was sweating a bit now, trying hard to figure a way to persuade her without words to feed from him. Why was she being so stubborn? He knew the answer to that one. She wanted HIM to feed first. Something deep inside of him didn't want to allow him feeding first. It even dimmed his hunger a bit.

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_*I will hopefully have the next chapter up soon, and if not, I am so sorry. My beta is getting swamped with a whole bunch of stuff, so please be patient. *_


	25. Chapter 24

_*Sorry about that wait! My beta was on vacation. But now, I have more chapters at the ready! Thank you again for all of your reviews. They give me a confidence that speaks louder than words. XD*_

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**Chapter 24: Feeding in the Conservatory, Part Two**

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Aizen knew that he was a very clever man (gotta love egotistical pricks), so he knew the way would come to him soon. But… then she licked the hollow of his throat and lightly grazed her fangs on his collar bone. He shuddered and suddenly knew what to do from instinct. He let out a threatening purr-growl at just the right level of warning and suggestion. It was a clear message to any female cat that he wasn't one to tamper with, but one to be in control. It also invited them in to his trap, much like a spider coaxing a fly.

At the haunting erotic sound, Night gave in and lightly suckled the mark she'd given him the night before and then bit hard, her fangs sinking deep into his throat. Aizen couldn't help it, he let out a sharp cry, arousing them both even more. He nearly passed out with the pleasure of her feeding from his reiatsu. Her gentle purrs and mews made it hard to think straight. His body rubbed against hers and suddenly he climaxed hard, surprising them both. He bit his lip so hard it bled as she arched up against him, and suddenly her hand was against his hard arousal. She mewed softly and rubbed his tip through his pants gently.

Aizen bent his head to her shoulder and let out a shaky moan as he came again. His growls and cries were turning Night on like lightning. She shuddered against him as he came the second time. He was shaking so visibly that she was afraid he'd pass out. She pulled back from feeding to look him in the face. "Sosuke…?" She whispered, concerned.

He bit his lip and tried to calm himself down. He finally gasped out, "I'll be alright. Just don't stop… don't stop feeding."

He closed his eyes and shivered as she touched his face and gently kissed him on the lips, lapping a bit of the blood from his assaulted bottom lip. She gently kissed her way down to his wound, which was already healing. She latched onto it and sucked gently. Soon, his shudders and moans caused her to start sucking harder and longer.

Aizen let out another hoarse cry as he crashed headlong into a fierce overpowering orgasm. Finally, she pulled away, her hunger completely sated. She licked his wound clean, the healing saliva on her tongue closing the pin pricks. She nuzzled his neck and shakily met his mouth in a passionate kiss. She broke away the kiss to offer her neck submissively. Aizen suddenly felt the urge to torture her in a way that wasn't really gentlemanly. He bent his head and ran his tongue from the base of her neck to her ear. He then blew gently on the wet skin. She shivered and moved her head, giving him more access.

He took his time tantalizing her by suckling here and there, gently nipping her bite mark. She let out a cry as he rubbed his chest against hers, teasing her sensitive skin through the fabric of their clothes. The feel of her nipples rubbing against his chest made him growl softly. Finally, he got irritated with the fabric barring their skin from touching. He bent his head and gently tugged her shirt open.

She stiffened insecurely, but he was proud of her when she tried to relax. He breathed on her exposed skin between her breasts. "Relax, my huntress…." He ran his tongue down between the two mounds, right above the clasp of her bra. Thank Heavens it clasped in the front.

Way too skillfully Aizen unhooked her bra with his teeth. "Sosuke… please…." Night cried out as he finally freed her breasts. He nuzzled her shirt out of the way as he found one pert nipple. His tongue rasped up against it and she let out a sensitized scream. He chuckled softly, breaking some of the tension.

Obviously, his woman hadn't ever been touched. He didn't know why that mattered to him, but he shoved most rational thought out of his head. His hunger was rapidly rearing its ugly head, and he knew just what to do in order to make her scream out his name. He gently tugged her nipple, drawing it into an even harder nub. She let out sobs of pleasure pain, pleading with him with her hips and arched back. Still… she didn't want him to stop.

It felt so good. He smelled so good. His tongue should be outlawed! She let out a scream as she came hard, arching her back so much that she nearly lifted both of them off the couch. Aizen gently pulled her hips more against his own so his erection ground into the apex of her thighs. He was so incredibly aroused, it was driving him nuts. But he still wanted… no he needed… her to come for him again, and again… until she couldn't move and neither could he. He gave her nipple on last lick before turning to its twin. She eeped slightly as he tugged it with his teeth.

His fingers came up from behind her back and he tweaked the already wet nipple he'd just assaulted. She cried out and tried to find something to hang on to. Finding nothing really suitable, she ran her hands through his hair and pressed him against her breast. She moaned as he suckled and nibbled her sensitive nub, pleasure racing through her veins. She was so overwhelmed that she threw her head back onto the couch and screamed.

"Sosuke please!" She cried out hoarsely as she came a second time. At that submissive plea, he got painfully aroused. He decided to show her mercy by leaving her breasts and meeting her lips, sliding his bare chest against her sensitive nubs, causing Aizen and Night both to moan. The feel of her like this under him was intoxicating. He was so hard that it hurt. He kissed her soundly, muffling both of their moans as he thrust his hips against her thighs, once… twice… and she came hard for the third time. He nuzzled her neck, her scent and his hunger making it too much for him to even want to think.

He nuzzled her chin, causing her to move it to the side and bearing her throat to him again. This time he didn't play. He moved in for the kill. As his tongue lapped her mark gently, she whimpered. He sank in his own fangs, which he hadn't even known had lengthened. He heard her scream his name as she came again.

Night panted heavily as her mate suckled her reiatsu. He seemed to be relishing her taste, for he would suck once, then he would lap at her blood for a bit before lastly nibbling around the wound. After a repeat of this for several minutes, he was well fed. Night moaned helplessly as she came a fifth time. He gently closed her wounds and moved his head up to lazily kiss her lips. She trembled and snuggled more into his embrace. "Sosuke…." She moaned softly several times before she calmed down.

If every feeding felt like this, then what would it do to them when they both soul bonded? She shook slightly with lasting aftershocks, glad that he was doing the same. Apparently, he had come the same time she had. She could feel the rapid beats of their hearts as both calmed down from their highs. Aizen finally whispered shakily, "I wonder if this will drive us both insane…."

She giggled against his lips and looked up into his tired, but ironically energized chocolate eyes. That's what reiatsu feeding did. It made you a bit tired, but eventually gave you a strength you never could possibly dream of. In fact, her own weariness was turning more into being sated. She cupped his face in her hands and whispered, "If it doesn't, it'll be a miracle."

He nuzzled one of her hands and lightly nipped it, causing her to eep and withdraw them both. He snatched the abused palm and gently licked it, soothing the bite with his tongue. The action caused her stomach to flip. He was acting more like a mate… and way more cat like. That was fine with her. As long as his personality stayed the same, that's all that mattered to her.

Aizen sighed softly, blinking as he felt Gin's spirit pressure inside the gates of the palace. He'd returned. The king reluctantly pulled away from his mate and helped her get all the way dressed. There was no way in Hell's outhouse that he'd let her go running around half naked while he wasn't there to watch. He smirked inwardly. That made him sound almost like Grimmjow. What a scary thought. He then cleaned himself up completely, taking away the smell of sex and arousal. He rearranged his shirt and pulled on his jacket. He turned to her and helped her off the sofa.

Pulling her to him he gently kissed her lips. "Gin has returned. I would like to speak with you later on, if that's convenient?"

"Yes." She smiled and snuggled into his embrace. Then, knowing that she was hugging him a bit longer than she should, she pulled away and let him lead her out of the green house.

He walked her halfway to the apartment and watched as she left his side to find her friends. Aizen watched her go with a mixed amused expression on his face. Gin came up behind him, trying to sneak up on him, he guessed. Aizen slowly smiled, "What do you have to report, Gin?"

The man, not really surprised that Aizen had sensed his presence, came to stand next to him, "I delivered what you asked me to."

"And what was his answer?" Aizen turned to regard his General.

Gin said in his oddly attractive voice, "Well… let's just say that he isn't rejecting the thought of helping us. I was very surprised, to say the least. At least I had thought I'd have to draw Shinzo… but he told me he'd look it over."

"You told him about the possibility of him getting highly rewarded?" Aizen asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Yes. I wonder if his leniency of us has to do with the fact that his son died and became an arrancar." Gin mused.

"Hmmm…. What an interesting notion." Aizen agreed, remembering the day he'd met Rajar Kurosaki… Ichigo Kurosaki's oldest son. The boy had still been a very young arrancar about the age of Nel (in her child form), but none the less… if Ichigo ever turned his son out of house and home… Aizen would put him under his wing. It would be foolish not to, with how powerful his parents are. "The Soul Society still hasn't yielded on the decision to kill Rajar?"

"Apparently not." Gin said softly. He then shrugged, "The boy has turned into quite the escape artist and has the powers of both his parents… if not even more."

"How old is he now?" Aizen asked. "Thirty four?"

"Something like that… though he looks much like a fifteen year old Ichigo… mixed with Renji's red hair." Gin smiled. "It was rather fascinating to learn that Ichigo's wife, Litony, was Renji's lost twin sister."

Aizen nodded. "Indeed."

Gin took in a breath and noticed something… different about his master. "My lord Aizen, have you fed?"

Aizen ran a hand through his hair and said, "I wondered how long it would take you to mention that."

"I was a bit distracted." He admitted, smelling Jade's exotic scent nearby.

"I could tell." The king smiled. Suddenly Aizen felt a bit lightheaded and he inwardly cursed. _I've got to remind myself to go see Lindor to see how far the affliction is progressing. Now that I have the means of a possible cure, I shouldn't be so foolish to think that I can wait around on it. _He thought as he turned towards Kaname who had just joined the two.

Gin and Kaname didn't miss much when it came to their leader. Both took note of the sudden change in complexion, the way Aizen carefully closed his eyes and opened them several times to gather his bearings, the sudden slight spike in his reiatsu. Gin sighed softly and asked, "Aizen-sama, may I excuse myself for a bit?"

"Of course." Aizen nodded, and then he and Kaname walked a bit towards the great balcony that held the Hogyoku hidden within one of its secret compartments in the floor.

Gin watched as Aizen-sama and Kaname left for a moment before going to see how his little visitor was doing. He wasn't that all surprised to see Ulquiorra sitting next to Max on one of the large sofas. The arrancar was watching as Max and Lisa played Chess. Night was sitting next to Lisa and was rubbing her head as if it ached. What surprised the General was the fact that Grimmjow was sitting on the floor in front of Lisa, so he could get a better view of the game. Ryu was cuddled up at Stark's side on another sofa, purring softly, like a cat. The other odd fact that Lisa was running her fingers through the sixth Espada's blue hair was not lost on Gin.

_So… she has mostly tamed him already. _It made Gin wonder which of the two was more dominant in their relationship. He knew for a fact Ryu was completely submissive in his and Stark's relationship.

He caught everyone's eye and waved. Night smiled at him as the two game players, cuddled dragon, and Espada ignored him. She gestured to the bedrooms, where Jade was reading a book. He nodded his thanks and walked to the room that had the most pleasant scent coming out of it. He gently knocked on the opened door and watched as Jade put her book away and grin. He matched her grin and asked, "May I come in?"

She got up from her chair and greeted him with a bear hug that would kill a horse. She buried her head into his chest and breathed in his incredible scent. "You even have to ask?"

He wrapped his arms around her and patted her head gently, almost like Aizen-sama used to with Momo. Of course Gin's plan for his mate was totally different than Aizen's had been with the shinigami brat. He finally tilted her chin so he could look into her beautiful jade eyes. "I find that it is less dangerous to knock and ask politely before entering into a lady's bedchamber."

She giggled, not minded by the fact that Gin had been in other women's chambers. It somehow made her even happier that she had not only snabbed a cunning and powerful mate… but also that she'd got an experienced one. She had absolute no experience whatsoever when it came to mating, though she had studied up on bonds and things like that.

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_*Awwww Jade and Gin are so cute, you have to admit. Next chapter should be up tonight or tomorrow, depending on my hectic RL stuff.*_


	26. Chapter 25

_*Ok, very short chapter, but the next one will be up this weekend. I do apologize for not posting this Wed. RL is definitely running me over. Thank you again for all of your reviews. Keep them coming. Reviews help me write more.*_

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**Chapter 25: The Sense of Something Off**

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Jade looked up at him for a few more precious moments before she noticed that he had opened his beautiful eyes to gaze down at her with those emotional depths. She suddenly felt more alive and happy than she'd ever had been in her life. He slowly lost his smile and she wondered why. "What is it?" She asked him softly, reaching up to touch his face.

He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes completely. He answered huskily, "I suddenly got the urge to kiss you again… and then I realized that I had already opened my eyes to you… so I don't have anything to barter with."

_Was that all? _Jade wondered, a bit exasperated. Somehow she wasn't so sure. She gently prodded again, "I would gladly kiss you, Gin. Anytime! But something inside me is telling me that something else is bothering you." She watched as her usually emotionless mate sighed and looked down at the floor, finding his feet interesting.

She dropped her hand so she could enfold it into one of his hands. She murmured softly, "If you don't want to talk about it, that's ok. But… I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to, ok?"

He nodded and his face was suddenly back in its fox mask state. "Good to hear."

And then he asked softly, "So… you don't mind if I kiss you?"

"Nope." She grinned.

He teased gently by pulling her into his arms so that his stomach rested against her back. "Anytime?"

His husky voice was full of deep yearning and desire, causing Jade to tremble. She wanted him too… and it was getting harder to resist the pull of bonding. As soon as she had whispered the word 'yes', Gin was on her so fast that she didn't realize he'd turned her around and crashed his lips to hers until his tongue was in her mouth.

She let out a soft moan and let him dominantly thrust his talented tongue against her own. She drank in not only his taste but also his smell. The feel of him holding her tightly to him, was driving her nuts. This kiss was so much more passionate than their first one and it was overwhelming her. Gin's tongue honestly should be outlawed. Soon, that wasn't even enough for them both. Gin moved one of his hands to the back of her head to hold her in place so he could plunder her mouth even more.

Jade let out a ragged whimper, the sound exciting Gin to no end. He kissed her for as long as he could without the need for breath. When their lungs finally forced them to breathe, Gin pulled away, panting heavily.

Jade felt like she'd died and gone to Heaven. She gasped for air and trembled even more. He smelled so good and felt so good… she now understood how Night felt with Aizen. Even now she could sense his awesome reiatsu… and how much it was fluctuating. Gin was staring down into her eyes with his own opened ones, the crimson murky depths ensnaring her into a powerful battle of lust and ecstasy.

She slowly grinned, getting a very naughty idea. "You keep looking at me that way and I might lose control and jump your bones."

Gin arched an eyebrow and matched her smile with one of his own. His voice huskily rumbled in the cross between a purr and a growl, "You losing control… now that I would love to see."

She shivered as overwhelming desire flooded her veins and nether regions. He really was playing with fire. But… he couldn't ever say that she'd never warned him. And in a blink of an eye, Gin found himself on Jade's bed with said woman straddling him and kissing him like there was no tomorrow. He had the grace to chuckle softly as he let her dominate for a bit.

_I wonder if she'll be the dominant one. _Gin thought as he rubbed his body up against her thighs. After a minute or so of letting her do what she wanted with him, he felt this overwhelming urge to flip their positions and to make her scream out his name in unbridled passion.

_I guess that's a no. _Gin answered himself as he did just that.

* * *

Night gently closed the door so the couple could have more privacy. She put her hands one her hips and looked at the rest of the eavesdroppers. Max had the grace to look sheepish. Lisa had the grace to look like a puppy that just did something bad and knew it was going to be punished. Grimmy looked annoyed. Ryu looked curious. Stark looked bored. And Ulquiorra looked strangely interested.

"Ok… show's over guys, unless you'd want to make an orgy out of it?" Night grinned evilly.

"Oh GOD no." Lisa shook her head vehemently and went back to the abandoned chess game.

Grimmjow grinned and followed her, saying, "I wouldn't mind that."

Stark reached down and stroked Ryu's fire red locks. The boy mewled slightly and nuzzled into his hand. Strange… that he acted like a cat.

"No… of course you wouldn't." Lisa agreed, but then she moved in for the kill, "But if you don't want Jade to make you missing something very valuable to your person, then you'd better get that fuckin' notion out of your head."

Grimm shrugged good naturedly and chuckled. "Whatever. I wouldn't even try it with General Gin around. That guy would kill me. And I seriously don't want to die just because I'm a little frustrated."

Ulquiorra piped up, "That coming from you is amazing. You should get the most improved jackass award for the year."

Lisa, Grimm, Ryu, Stark, and Night looked at Max with knowing and accusing looks. He threw up his hands, "I can't help it! He's my mate and I'm rubbing off on him!"

"You're doing way more than just that…." Ulquiorra whispered with a glare.

Night and Lisa looked at the fourth Espada with a mixture of horrified and fascinated expressions on their faces. "That was a one way ticket to EDFSE." Lisa commented.

"Yeah, TMI on the downside." Night agreed.

"Normal language please." Grimm demanded with a growl.

"EDFSE means 'Entirely Disturbing For Sensitive Ears'" Lisa explained patiently as if she was trying to tell a two year old what 'no' meant.

"TMI means Too Much Information." Ulquiorra supplied.

Max pulled him into a bear hug and nuzzled his neck. "I am rubbing off on you."

"Yea… we gathered that." Lisa said dismissively. She then looked at Night, noting that the woman was looking out the window with a strange look on her face. "Hey girlie, what's up?"

"I think…." She sighed and tried again. "I have a feeling of injury coming from my mate."

"What the Hell does that mean?" Grimmjow oh so bluntly asked.

Max answered for her. "When mates start bonding and getting to know one another, they notice things about their mates that they hadn't before. Strange oddities that are sometimes completely abstract and redundant, ranging from what their favorite color is to if they have a secret they don't want to tell anyone. We already know that your king has so many secrets that we just kind of shrug it off. Night doesn't mind, so we don't."

Grimmjow nodded. "That's why you guys haven't been asking the other arrancars more questions about him, isn't it?"

"Yep, Turquoise." Max nodded, forcing another color description as a nickname on an Espada.

Grimmjow ignored that nickname and sighed softly. "So… Night… what you are saying is that you've sensed something wrong with Aizen?" He had a sneaky suspicion that she'd find out sooner or later. What he couldn't understand was why Aizen hadn't told her about his condition the night before.

Lisa gently jabbed him in the stomach. "Behave."

"I am!" He snarled and jabbed her in the ribs, causing her to giggle.

"Yes…." Night nodded, gently rubbing her arms. "I felt it strongly just a few minutes ago. Right before Gin came in… I felt it advance." She ignored the gasps of the others in the room. She said forebodingly, "I feel his pain and anxiety whenever it strikes him hard. He's in a lot of pain right now."

Lisa came up to her and hugged her friend. "Easy, chica… you can get through this. Maybe he's not ready to tell you about it yet."

"That's not Aizen-sama's reason." Ulquiorra said softly, causing both women and men to look at him. The Espada felt a bit uncomfortable with all the stares on him, but he continued, "It's Aizen-sama's problem. He wants to deal with it on his own. That is his way. He never confides in anyone for the simple reason that he does not wish to put his own problems on everyone else."

"Damn… that's harsh." Max commented softly, suddenly admiring the king more.

"He must be lonely." Lisa said, withdrawing from her friend to go to Grimmjow and run her fingers through his hair. "You ever withhold something like that from me and I'll kill you."

"Point taken." He grunted and sighed as she sat back down and started a slow rhythm of stroking his hair.

Night crossed her arms under her chest, and went to go to her room to change. She bit her lip worriedly. Max followed her and touched her shoulder. "Why don't you ask the Espada about his condition?" He murmured softly.

"Because it's not their place to answer. If Ulquiorra's right, which I think he is… then King Aizen will tell me eventually. If he doesn't… I'll tear him to shreds." She glowered determinedly and stalked out into her room and closed the door in his face.

"Great…." Max sighed and rubbed his head. He came back to join Ulquiorra and the rest. Lisa, Grimm, Ryu, Stark, and Ulquiorra stared at him for a bit before he explained, "She needs to let off some steam."

"What did you do to make her pissed?" Lisa asked, rolling her eyes.

"I just asked if she wanted to ask the Espada about the whole king injury thing, but she said that it wasn't their place to tell. I don't think she's pissed at me." He smiled slowly, but worriedly. "I think she's pissed at her mate."

"Why would she be pissed with Aizen-sama?" Ulquiorra asked and all five companions regarded him with incredulous looks.

Grimmjow sighed and laid his head back to rest on Lisa's knees. Her fingers were feeling so good on his scalp, the soothing movements of them stroking his hair made him a whole lot calmer than usual. "It's obvious she's pissed with our king because he hasn't told her about the mess. Though she respects him as an individual with independent needs, she still is worried about him. So… she's frustrated that she doesn't know what's wrong with him, or how to help him through his suffering."

"She has every right to be pissed." Lisa agreed.

* * *

_*Mwhahah, I guess Aizen has to deal with an angry mate now. What will happen?*_


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: A Pissed off Cat and Her Mate**

* * *

Max sighed softly and folded his legs. He promptly pulled a submissive Ulquiorra into his lap and nuzzled his neck as he thought through things. Ulquiorra obediently bared his neck even more for his mate to nibble. Being submissive wasn't as bad as he'd first imagined. His mate took good care of his needs, though those needs were spurred by his advances. Yet… the fourth Espada was beginning to learn that it was really nice to have someone like Max around.

Max gave his mate a gentle nibble on the neck before saying, "I'm pretty sure Aizen-sama isn't going to be too happy when he finds out what our leader is planning on doing."

"What is she planning?" Grimmjow asked, letting out a loud purr as his mate started stroking right behind his ears.

Stark continued to stroke Ryu's flame red hair, and the boy's loud purr rattled through the air. Stark arched an eyebrow. Ryu wasn't part cat… but he sure was acting like one.

"She's going to go hunt." Max grinned wryly, thinking that it'd be amusing to watch Aizen and Night battle it out with wills.

Ulquiorra turned his head to look at him. "Why is that such a problem?"

Grimmjow answered that one, "Aizen-sama is the type of person who wants everyone to need and depend on him. He's a bit manipulative that way, but it's his style. My guess is that he never let her hunt yesterday or today, right?"

Max nodded. "I'm guessing that too."

Ulquiorra nodded, understanding. "I see. That makes sense."

Grimmjow yawned hugely, feeling like taking a nap. Lisa giggled softly as he let out an even louder purr when she started rubbing his shoulders and neck.

They all were back to the game of Chess when Night came out, dressed for hunting. She had on her clothes from her own world, not wanting to get the guest ones dirty. She had retained Aizen-s sash, not wanting to piss him off entirely. She just needed to blow off some steam… and what better way to do that than go hunting? She had her sword strapped to her back and her twin daggers at her hips. It was time to go. She went out onto their balcony and hopped down to the sandy surface below, feeling the burning drive to fight and kill.

Battling was something she was made for, and it was something she relished in doing. Racing through the sands away from her mate and his overwhelming scent and problems, she forced herself to clear her mind. It was hard doing this without his knowledge, but she felt the need to do so. She was independent herself, and knew that she sometimes needed space. Used to hunting alone and rarely with her friends, Night was completely capable of taking care of herself.

Back in the palace, as soon as Night had left, a great reiatsu spike flared through the entire building, shaking the walls and its foundation. It also managed to scatter the chess board and its pieces onto the floor. Ulquiorra and Grimmjow stood slowly as the flare disappeared.

"Shit…." Grimmjow growled, knowing someone wasn't too pleased.

Ulquiorra trembled in spite of himself and whispered, "Quite an understatement."

Stark bolted up, quick when the occasion called for it. "Aizen-sama is so not happy."

Gin and Jade, both of who had just recovered from a bout of frotting, bolted out the door of the room. Gin shunpo'd out the door after gently squeezing and releasing his mate's hand. This was his job, and when Aizen was pissed, it wasn't a good thing to dawdle around. All four visitors watched as Grimm, Stark, and Ulquiorra followed Gin's wake, though at a slower pace.

"I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into, girlie." Lisa sighed as she bent and picked up the chess board and its pieces.

Jade whispered, "What happened?"

Max rubbed his face and sat down tiredly on the chair. "Pop a squat… it's a long story." Ryu sighed softly and sulked. He'd really enjoyed the attention Stark had given him. The man had a body that killed.

* * *

Aizen bit his lip and snarled angrily, something he usually never did unless something bothered him greatly. Lindor cowered under one of his many lab tables, shaking with absolute mindless fear. _Bitch…. _Calming himself down slightly by taking deep even breaths, Aizen got up from a nearby chair and said in a clear, soft voice, full of evil and anger, "I will return once I finish some urgent business."

Lindor gulped and watched his boss go. He pitied the person who had managed to piss his lord off, though he couldn't help feeling grateful that it hadn't been him. Aizen left the lab, meeting his most trusted at the door. Nice… at least they all had come directly.

Grimmjow, Stark, and Ulquiorra had been the last to arrive, closely behind Gin. Kaname had already been there, waiting for the doctor to give a diagnosis on Aizen's condition when _it_ had happened. Everyone, including Kaname gave their leader a wide berth, not wanting to get too close to the furious king. Aizen said softly, in a deadly voice, "There is something I must attend to that requires my immediate attention. Kaname…."

"Yes, sir?" Kaname asked softly.

"You are in charge until I return. Gin, go with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and take the visitors to Training Room 10. Stark, come with me." Without waiting to hear replies, Aizen left the building in a flash, closely followed by his primera Espada.

Everyone exchanged worried looks. Even Gin wasn't so happy. They all had the same question on their minds. Since when did Aizen go settle matters right as they happened, instead of waiting for the problems to come back to him so he could beat them to a pulp then?

One thing was for sure… if Aizen couldn't control his temper… then Night and her friends were doomed, mates or not.

Lilinette piped up in the back of Stark's mind, _Why is Aizen-sama so angry?_

_His mate left the palace without telling him. _Stark replied as he followed his master across Hueco Mundo.

Night was in her cat dragon form, slowly turning to look at the palace way off in the distance. Maybe she had traveled too far? She sighed softly, feeling a bit bad now about leaving her mate without first telling him where she was going. She had felt his anger even from here… but what else was she supposed to do? He wouldn't tell her anything! _You never asked. _Her inner conscious reminded her.

Still… it pissed her off. She still needed to cool off a bit. And, feeling him and one other leaving the palace coming in her direction spooked her. She wasn't afraid of her mate or his subordinates. She was more afraid of herself and what she might do to him if he caught her still angry. So, she bolted, searching for prey. Smelling a large arrancar nearby she crouched, flattening her wings to her back. Hunger for spirit energy was non-existence. She was doing this for the sake of killing, nothing more. If she got any energy out of it, nice… but she wasn't expecting any.

She arched her back, watching as the big arrancar was chewing on the remains of another. Ewww… didn't Jade say that most of the arrancars disappeared after death? She blinked, noting that this arrancar was very different from those other ones apparently. Either that or the victim was still alive. YUCK. Even she wasn't that mean.

So intent was she that she didn't notice that her mate and his subordinate had arrived and were about a hundred yards behind her. Night licked her whiskers, making herself ready to pounce. As soon as the thing was finishing its meal, she leaped into the air, ready to strike. She landed on the big brute's back, but before it had a chance to understand, it was dead. With a huge swipe with her claws down the center of it's back, she let out a bellow that shot a huge blue electric slicing charge from her mouth through the thing's chest, killing it. As soon as it disappeared she growled, tail twitching back and forth. She was still frustrated! She sniffed around where the thing had been and noticed that the monster it had been chewing on was indeed an arrancar. She switched into her human form and sniffed again, touching the strange sand and scrutinizing it.

Suddenly, she felt herself bodily picked off the ground by a strong set of arms, and felt a sharp bite on her neck. She gasped and winced as the bite went deeper than ever before. It hurt. It wasn't intended for feeding… it was intended for punishment. She tried vainly to get out of his grasp, but her mate held on tight, keeping his fangs imbedded in her neck.

Stark blinked, but stayed well away from the two. He'd never seen his boss so upset before… or even show it for that matter. And… the boss had fangs now? That was different. But… not really surprising. Finally, Aizen pulled his fangs out of her throat, suddenly feeling her pain… emotionally as well as physically. He slowly licked the gaping wound and he murmured softly, "Why did you leave?"

Night felt her anger growing. Part of it was a natural instinct inside of her rearing it's ugly head. The other part was coming from her own anger from before. She snarled softly, "You are such a bastard, Sosuke!"

Stark covered his mouth to keep from laughing. _Wow… no wonder Aizen-sama likes her. She's not afraid of him one bit._ He briefly thought of Ryu. The submissive was brave and rash too… except for when he was in Stark's arms. Then he was almost like a hussy.

Aizen let her go, smirking slightly as she fell to the ground. She shot back up into the air and onto her feet, facing him. She glared at him, "YOU PRICK! Why the hell did you do that?"

The man crossed his arms and gave her one of his 'death' stares. "I had every right to."

Night growled and put her hand over her eyes, trying hard not to cuss him out. Finally, she glared back at him, "What is your problem? All I needed to do was get out here and hunt so I could calm down!" She then pointed a finger at him, "And then YOU, MR HIGH AND MIGHTY JACKASS DEATH GOD had to come and bite me!"

Stark stifled his mirth just in time. Aizen whispered softly, not amused, "Are you done?"

"Never." She muttered, knowing she was being a bitch, and being irrational, but Damnit! She wanted him to trust her! She blinked, where did that come from? Still… the way things were going, she had to do something. "Sosuke, you leave me no choice. If you are going to be a jackass and won't tell me anything, then I have to do this… for both of our sakes." She took off her hoodie, throwing it to the side.

Aizen watched as she pulled her daggers off of her waist, noting that she'd still had his colors on. She then pulled her saber like sword out of its sheath on her back. She moved into a fighting stance and said softly, "Fight me, Sosuke."

Stark's jaw dropped in surprise. What the Hell? Did everyone around here take things way too seriously? He shut his mouth with a clack as his boss stripped his coat and threw it to him. He caught his master's coat and gaped again as Aizen pulled off his long shirt, showing a sleeveless white shirt that usually was Kaname's style.

Back at the palace, Kaname was watching over the visitors and their mates as they in turn were watching the fight unfold through a panoramic hologram matrix. Lisa yawned and laid her head down onto Grimm's stomach. He gently stroked her hair, grinning like a mad man. Ryu sulked, feeling a bit lonely without Stark. Aizen was finally showing some of his stuff… and so was Night. Jade worriedly looked at the screen, feeling a bit on edge.

Gin took note of this and pulled her into his arms and started stroking her back in soothing circles, making her sigh and cuddle. Ulquiorra was sitting on Max's lap, trying to keep his attention on the screen. It was a bit hard though, considering his mate kept stroking his arms… and his sides… and his back… and sometimes his hair. Then there was the ever present nuzzling and nibbling that Max was unconsciously doing.

* * *

_*Sorry this took so long to post. RL has been murder for me lately. I hope to post another chap sometime this upcoming weekend. Thanks again for your reviews!*_


	28. Chapter 27

_***Sorry peeps that it took me so long to update! The past six or so months have been a whirlwind in RL. Please forgive me about that. This chappie is a bit short, but the next two I already have back from my beta, so I will post one tomorrow, and the next one on Tuesday (RL willing). Thank you again for all of your support, and awesome reviews.***_

* * *

**Chapter 27: A Sparring Match of Two Mates**

* * *

After Aizen and Stark had left, Kaname and the others had gone to the training room, like ordered. Kaname was in charge, though he didn't have to watch the fight. But, he was curious, like the rest of them. And it had been a very long time since Aizen had shown his moves.

Aizen said softly, "Fair enough." He then asked, "Do you mind if I fight with my bare hands?"

Night arched an eyebrow, knowing he wasn't joking. "Hell yes. I want it a sword match. Once one person is disarmed, then it can be hand to hand… not before."

Aizen nodded. "Very well. But I have to warn you… my Zanpakuto is not what it seems."

Stark sighed softly, feeling impressed. The woman didn't know it, but Aizen had just given her a major hint about his sword. He watched as the girl grinned. "I won't under estimate it. I only ask that you do the same with mine. It also is not what it seems."

"What the hell does that mean?" Grimm asked, still gently stroking Lisa's hair.

Lisa rolled her eyes, saying, "Watch, idiot, then you'll see."

He lightly tugged her hair in punishment, but she didn't seem to mind. So, he went back to stroking her hair.

"Agreed." Aizen said and pulled out his sword. "Stark, sound the bell."

Everyone watched as Aizen put himself in a 'sparring' stance, which meant he was teaching, not intending to kill. His anger must have almost gone completely. Stark wasn't a fool though, so he still kept his distance and tapped his Zanpakuto which resounded a huge 'ding'.

It was hard to follow their movements as both opponents danced and parried in a fierce battle of swordplay. Hit after hit showed how agile Aizen and how lithe his mate were. Aizen parried one attack after the other, twisting around to make a hit of his own. Night easily parried that by flipping her sword behind her. She crouched low and struck, intent on hitting his legs. He easily jumped and flipped, turning to combat another attack.

Stark watched the battle unfold, though one eye was warily surveying the area.

"Oooo… the king looks happy." Gin murmured as he nuzzled his mate's hair.

"You're right, he does." Grimmjow grinned. "Maybe that's what they needed. To get out and spar."

"If you want to keep your head in place, I suggest you not tell Night that Aizen-sama is only sparring." Ulquiorra admonished.

"That's his sparring stance?" Lisa asked, interested.

"Yes. He only does that when he wants to train Espada or one of us." Gin smiled.

"Great… Night's gonna be even more pissed." Max grumbled.

"Why? She should feel honored that Aizen-sama is taking the time out of his day to spar with her." Ulquiorra said, matter of factly.

Max nipped his ear. "Easy on the king glorifying. Night's gonna be pissed because when she battles with someone, she battles all out and she expects that person to show her the same respect by fighting her seriously."

Suddenly Night felt strong arms around her, even though she was seeing Aizen in front of her. Which one was the real mate? She abandoned all of her senses except for one: the sense of knowing. Immediately she knew that the person holding her was not her mate and she blinked through the haze and flipped, shattering the illusion into millions of fragments. She then attacked Aizen, in which he stopped her blade with one finger.

He then grabbed a hold of it with his forefinger. Night hissed softly as his blade came out of nowhere and nearly speared her in the stomach. She, in turn stopped his blade with a foot. He chuckled softly and yanked her sword to him, causing her to come with it naturally. She fell up against his chest and he let go of her sword. An arm went around her waist and he sniffed her scent.

He moved slightly, feeling that his mate was blocking some important information from her scent. Shivering, Night tried to pull out of his grasp, but Aizen was having none of that. His mate was not only hiding her emotions… she was also hiding something that pertained to himself. He asked again, "Why did you leave?"

Anxiety filled her rattled frustrated nerves and she bit her lip. "I was pissed."

"That was apparent. My question is why?" He nuzzled her hair and gently reached up to silently heal the wound at her throat that was still cracked and bleeding.

She sighed and lifted her foot off of his Zanpakuto, allowing him to put it away. Could she trust him with her feelings? He had been very tentative and gentleman like towards her, but… did he really want to help her sort out her feelings? Or was he just wanting something from her, _as leverage?_

Not really caring that Night still had her sword in her hand, he wrapped both arms around her waist. He moved his head down to lick the now healed wound at her neck. He licked the dried blood off of it and murmured, "How can I help you if you do not trust me?"

"I might ask you the same question." She nuzzled him back and sighed. Her head ached.

But, somehow she knew it wasn't from her own head. Aizen's head ached. Not really knowing what she was doing, she reached up and touched his hair, gently massaging the base of the back of his head. He sighed softly and relaxed slowly. She seemed to know just where to rub.

It was then that she knew. "Sosuke… why didn't you tell me?"

He didn't pretend to misunderstand. He answered softly, "I didn't want to worry you."

"Bullshit." She hissed and pulled away from him so she could look into his eyes. "Tell me the truth."

He regarded her with serious eyes for a moment before saying, "Fair enough." He then gently stroked the blade of her sword, which was glowing a pale blue. "But first… I want you to promise me never to leave the palace again without telling me about it first or unless your life is in danger, or I ask you to. Of course I don't doubt your skills, but there are far greater risks out here than one would realize." He murmured softly, "I also don't like it if I don't know where you are or where you are going…."

She sighed, withdrawing her blade from his hand and soothing it with her own hands. It was crying. Her sword was practically bawling because of their skirmish with Aizen's Zanpakuto. Kiss of Death was usually a battle hungry sword, but not this time around. Probably because she was feeling her owner's emotions. Plus… she didn't like fighting NOT to kill.

"I'll only say yes if you promise me to tell me the truth always… never tell me a lie. I don't respect people who fear telling me the truth." She said softly, still stroking her sword's blade. It finally calmed down and shimmered to black and red.

Aizen nodded, "Very well. I give you my oath as king and as a man."

"I also give you my oath to do as you've asked of me." She sighed softly as she felt incredibly warm arms engulf her from the behind. He laid his head on her shoulder and examined her sword. "It is calm now."

"Yes, she is." Night said with a small smile. "She doesn't like battling opponents she knows she is not allowed to kill."

"Was that why she flared blue for a moment?" Aizen asked, gently reaching out to touch the blade.

It shimmered a bit green, but then returned to black and red. "Yes. Kiss of Death is built for one purpose: to kill. Anything else is too frustrating for her. She also didn't like fighting your Zanpakuto."

"Why?" He glanced at the hilt of his own sword.

"Because it is a master of illusions. She can't stand games. She's also mad at me because I chose to battle an opponent that shouldn't be battled."

He nodded, understanding. "Mates cannot battle each other."

"They can, but only if they are forced to. Sparring is ok, but battling seriously is dangerous. I forced the issue on my sword, and I had to apologize to her before she could forgive me." She rolled her eyes, "I've never seen her so unhappy with me. A bawling sword is something I will never want to get used to."

Stark piped up, "Bawling? She was crying?"

"Yes." Night nodded, not surprised that he was still there. "For being a highly dangerous sword, she can be very unpredictable and emotional."

_Like her owner. _Aizen thought, feeling a bit amused. The anger he had felt had long since disappeared to be replaced by adrenaline and amusement. But now, the head ache that had formed during the battle was gone, due to Night's gentle rubbings. Still, it felt odd not wanting to punish someone for their disobedience. Was Night taming him?

"Would you like to spar more with me? That is, if your sword approves." Aizen asked silkily, gently nibbling Night's earlobe.

Night blinked. _Of course he'd only been sparring with me_. She thought, feeling a bit down. Would she ever get to see Aizen's full potential? She noticed that her sword was shimmering between red and gold, signaling that Kiss of Death was wondering that also. This was why her sword had chosen her…. Their moods mostly suited one another and they could work completely as a team.

Taking in her silence as a bit of sulkiness, Aizen added, "If you don't, you could always go hunt. I only suggest that Stark and I accompany you. After that I'll tell you what my illness is."

He struck a chord within her and he knew it. That must have been another thing that had upset her… not being able to hunt. She was a huntress after all, and even if she now had no need to feed on reitsu from other beings other than himself, she needed the feel and thrill of the hunt. He was slowly realizing that in order to keep her with him, he'd have to amend some of his own strict rules. For one, he couldn't keep her caged up in the palace like he'd originally thought.

He had been so naïve and it pained him to admit it. Despite being one of the most feared individuals in several circles, Aizen knew that he had faults. He would never express them to those underneath him, of course, but sometimes one had to deal with one's own actions. He sighed softly and told her, "I will even allow your friends to practice their skills with any of the Espada or Generals that they chose. I only ask that you spar with me… and me alone."

Night finally made a decision and could tell that her sword agreed with her. It's long saber like blade shook and trembled with finality, glowing a dark purple like crimson that signaled it's impatience to battle. "Very well. Kiss of Death agrees with me on this. But now… she wants to kill."

So, the hunt was on. Aizen let go of her and watched as she changed shape. The large cat like dragon was a bit different than before. She had armor that covered her arms and chest. Huge jagged spikes rose out of her neck in three long lines, and her fangs were long and spilled out of her mouth. Her eyes flared red, the color of her sword, and Aizen had the urge to gape at her magnificence.

Stark did that for him, gaping like a madman. "She didn't look like that the last time…."

"We could have told him that one." Max grinned, showing a bit of fang himself.

Ulquiorra and Grimmjow looked at him questionably. Gin chuckled. "She fused with her sword… much like you guys do with your Zanpakutos." Lisa, Ryu, and Max blinked.

Jade questioned her mate, "So… arrancars fuse with their swords too? What about you guys?"

"Very rarely nowadays, though we do practice it on occasion, right Kaname?" Gin asked with a grin.

Kaname shrugged, "Sometimes."

"What do you guys call it?" Lisa asked.

"There are several forms of our Zanpakuto, but the one that completely merges with our own reiatsu is called Bankai." Gin answered, running a gentle hand through his mate's hair. "Arrancars call it resureccion."

Aizen watched as the animal that was his mate looked at him questionably. _So, even though her sword has fused with her, she still has retained her mind. Interesting. _He went up to her and rubbed her behind the ears. "Go ahead. We'll catch up. If you want, we'll stay out of your way. Unless, you want us to join you?"

The large cat dragon hissed slowly and shrugged. She then sniffed the air, letting her body take over the hunt. _There… a mile away…. _Kiss of Death suggested and Night agreed. Soon, she left her mate to walk a few feet in the direction she was going to take. Growling low in her throat, Night disappeared.

"That was a bit subtle, don't you think?" Stark asked his boss.

"It was completely unnecessary, but not unwanted." And with that, both flash stepped after her.

* * *

_*Hugs everyone, thanks again!*_


	29. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Ripping of Soul and Sword

* * *

After two full hours of hunting, Night still hadn't gotten enough exercise. The Arrancars she had met so far had been ridiculously stupid and easy to kill. She wanted more blood. She wanted more death. Her sword and her mind demanded it. Kiss of Death urged her to a new target… one that was familiar. She shivered as she came upon Bawabawa, Nel and her friends. Night trembled as she watched as Nel spotted her.

"NIGHT!" She cried and bolted towards her, her friends quickly following in her wake.

_NO! Don't come near! _Night's mind screamed out, but it was too late. Nel had reached her and hugged one of her armor plated arms. She trembled, trying very hard to control her inner demon as it tried to rip to the surface. This was why her and her kind usually wished to hunt alone… so that they wouldn't have to hold back and worry that one that they cared for would get hurt.

But Night had other reasons too. Merged with her sword like she was, all the hatred and urge to kill was overwhelming her and she feared for Nel's safety. Still, she tried hard to control herself. It wouldn't due to show her mate, who had followed at a safe distance, just how powerful her inner demon was. Without a doubt he would encourage her to use it at will and mold it to what she wished, but she wasn't ready for that now. Once she and Aizen were fully mated, then she would have the strength to do so… but not now.

Nel didn't seem to understand the dangerous situation she was in as she was hugging her friend. "I've missed you and was so worried! Aizen-sama can be intimidating and dangerous!"

Peshe and Dondochakka stopped in their tracks, looking at the horror that was Night. "Nel… back up very slowly from her!" Peshe exclaimed in a hiss.

"Why?" Nel then looked up and noticed for the first time that her friend's eyes were a brilliant crimson. "AHHH!" She squeaked and backed away as she was told.

Night warred with herself, huffing heavily.

Stark made to move closer, but was stopped by Aizen's hand. "Just watch… and wait."

"Yes, my lord." The primera Espada submitted.

Aizen smiled slowly, knowing to an extent as to what was up with his mate. The radiance of her raging mixed emotions was so raw and powerful that it was seeping into the very fabric of his clothes. And he was nearly a hundred yards away. She was hungry and thirsted for killing and death, the thrill of hunting still raging in her veins. Yet, she was trying to reign in her inner self instinct so she wouldn't hurt her friends. Nel couldn't have picked a worse time to barge in on Night.

In an act of desperation, Night forcibly disconnected herself from her sword. Both shrieked as pain and an agony so intense it nearly killed them both ripped through them. A huge blast of spiritual pressure colored in black and red engulfed Night and Kiss of Death. Soon, it grew and channeled straight up into the air with a loud boom.

Lisa, Max, Ryu, and Jade bolted into action. "Shit!" Lisa cried as she and her friends disappeared from their mates and reappeared just outside of Las Noches. They took off at a run, transforming into their shifted forms, their mates hot on their heels.

Kaname sighed, wondering why he let them go. He, himself couldn't leave because he was the only one left in charge. He just hoped that Aizen-sama would be able to forgive him… and his subordinates.

"What the HELL?" Stark growled, covering his face to keep the blast from hurting him.

Aizen's smile disappeared to be replaced by a calculating scowl… the one that was in between pissed off and annoyed. He watched carefully as the powerful surge dissipated slowly. As the dust and debris cleared, he spotted Night in her human form sprawled on one side of a huge crater, and on the other side her sword lay singed and burned.

That didn't bother him so much. No… what bothered him was the amount of blood seeping from Night and her sword. That propelled him into action. He shunpo'd quickly to his mate's side and gently turned her over onto her back. His eyes hardened dangerously as he spotted several gashes several inches deep littering much of her body. He sighed softly and examined her as gently as he could, though it shouldn't have mattered to him… since she was unconscious.

He looked up to find Nel staring at him in fear and concern. As he caught her eyes with his own she 'eeped' and tried to hide behind Bawabawa. "Nel…." He whispered dangerously.

She blinked and uttered a helpless, "IDONWANNADIEISORRY!"

"Nonsense. I am not going to hurt you." He stated coolly and devoid of emotion. "Please come here."

She shuffled quickly to his side as he crouched in the sand and pulled Night's body into his arms. He adjusted her the best he could and murmured a kido that sterilized the air around them. "Nel… here's what I want you to do….."

* * *

A few minutes later, her friends were almost to her. But before they could get a kilometer closer, a huge spiritual force field rendered them unable to go any further. It also rendered them back into their human forms. Max cursed and rammed his hand on the reiatsu wall. "Damnit!"

Lisa threw her hands up in the air, "GREAT! How are we going to get to her now?"

Jade sighed and touched the shield, trying to sense anything beyond it. "My guess is that it's unsafe for us to go in." Ryu nodded, touching the shield as well. "It's too solid."

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

Grimm answered, gently wrapping his arms around his mate, "Aizen-sama has the ability to heal a bit. My guess is that he doesn't anyone to come near, ally or otherwise because of the potential bacteria and other harmful crap that we carry on and in our bodies. Right?"

Jade nodded. "Yes. I think he purified the area around them so he could try to heal her as much as he can."

Ulquiorra rubbed his face. "I should have thought that Aizen-sama would have done something like this."

Max grunted. Gin smiled, "I can go through his barrier."

Jade's eyes widened and she looked over at him, "You can?"

"Of course. I am more pure than you think." He grinned.

Lisa rolled her eyes, "Could have fooled me."

"Not the only one." Max, Ryu, and Grimm agreed.

Ulquiorra stated, "Yes… you could… but, forgive me General…. Would Aizen-sama appreciate you going in there?"

All eyes returned to Gin. He shrugged, "Who can know what Aizen-sama thinks? But… I'll tell you what, I'll go ahead and go in and then when I find out what is going on, I'll come back out here and tell you. Does that sound good?"

Jade glomped him in a huge hug. "Thank you GIN-kun!"

_Gin-kun? _Max blanched.

"Why do I suddenly feel the urge to barf?" Lisa muttered, and Grimm, Ryu, Max, and Ulquiorra couldn't agree more.

As Gin disappeared into the massive force field, he was nearly overpowered by Aizen's spiritual pressure. "Geez, Aizen-sama… you don't have to go all out!"

Aizen gently stroked Night's hair as Nel finished covering her with gobs of her healing saliva. Bawabawa, Dondochakka, and Peshe all were warily giving the arrancar king a wide berth. Anxiously they watched Nel treat their friend. "That will do, Nel… thank you."

Nel sat back and rubbed her arm over her mouth. "You're welcome, Aizen-sama!" With that, Nel raced back to her friends. Aizen spared them a calculating glance before looking down at his mate.

Now that the healing agents had been spread over Night's body, he could work on some of the deeper cuts. He gently pulled up what remained of her shirt and put his hand over her deepest gash. With his hand hovering over it he murmured a kido spell of healing. It had been ages since he'd needed to do that. It must have tickled, for his mate twitched and squirmed in her sleep.

He had the grace to smile. She acted very much like a cat. It was no wonder that her shifting form was that of a cat like dragon. Still… though he understood why she did what she did… he couldn't fathom why she resorted to an action that left her and her sword completely vulnerable. Surely there could have been some other way to control her inner beast? He would have to discuss the matter with her later.

He felt a bit perplexed. She had said that all mates would begin to feel others emotions, etc… but he didn't even feel her pain when she's wrenched herself a part from her sword. Was it because she was blocking it from him? If so… how deep did this pain go, and why would she protect him like this? He suddenly got an idea. If feeding from spirit energy reenergized himself and her… did it also help the healing process of physical and mental pains?

He sensed Gin enter the shield and he sighed. Why was he not surprised? "Do you want me to detain the General, my lord?" Stark asked softly, still warily a few yards away from the couple.

"No." He said with a small smile. "That won't be necessary."

"Very well." Stark yawned, stretching to get out the kinks from standing too long. He crouched down and rubbed his face.

Turning back to the matter at hand, Aizen finished healing most of the ugly wound. He went to the next one, mulling over the decision of either feeding her some of his energy or continuing this painstaking process of healing. He felt a sudden shift in her spiritual pressure and knew that she was waking. And with it… there was an intense hunger. He smirked. He must have guessed right.

Either that or his mate had an enormous appetite. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into very chocolate concerned ones. She let in a shaky breath, nearly drowning in his delicious scent. He was holding her and doing something to her side. She looked down and gasped softly. He was healing a particularly nasty wound on her side. How did she get so banged up? Strange… how come she didn't feel any pain from those wounds?

She tried to move, but his soft purring voice stifled the action, "Don't move, my huntress." He stroked her hair soothingly as he continued to heal the wound.

"What… what happened, Sosuke?" She asked him honestly.

He inhaled deeply and felt desire return to him tenfold. Her scent was mouth watering. Where had that come from? It must be in response to her hunger. That was the only thing that he could come up with at the moment. He answered her truthfully, "You were in the middle of a hunt and had fused with your sword." He moved his hand to another nasty gash. "Nel accidentally barged into the middle of it and you warred with yourself not to harm her. After that, you must have forcefully ripped your mind apart from your sword, thus causing you both to be engulfed in a rather large burst of spiritual pressure."

"Wow." She mumbled shakily, reaching up and rubbing her aching head. "I couldn't stop myself… I just couldn't. It was the only way to keep from hurting her…. Is she alright?"

"Yes." He whispered.

Why did her body not hurt, just her head? She then understood. Her sword was masking all the pain, and for that she was grateful. She'd have to make it up to her somehow. But why was her head feeling like it was about to explode?

"What is it?" He asked soothingly, gently nuzzling her matted spiked hair.

"My head feels like it's been hit one too many times by a shovel." She stated, withdrawing her hand. She closed her eyes tiredly and nearly passed out when a surge of white hot hunger clenched her stomach.

"You expelled a large amount of reiatsu, so it's no wonder." Aizen murmured, feeling a migraine fixing to smash his own head into a billion pieces coming on. He suddenly shivered, noting that his mate was very hungry.

"I think you should feed a little." He said softly, removing his hand from her side. He engulfed her into his arms a bit more comfortably and pulled his shirt and jacket a bit out of the way. She blushed and mumbled weakly, "How'd you know?"

"You think I wouldn't?" He chuckled softly and pulled her against his chest so she could have better access.

* * *

_*Hides* I am soooo sorry for not updating! But, to make it up to you, I am posting two chappies back to back for you. Thank you so much for sticking with me. I appreciate it. Real life is getting more hectic, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I can't wait for that day, let me tell you. Thank you again for your wonderful reviews._


	30. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Healing and a Warning

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Night trembled slightly and shyly licked his collar bone. Aizen let out a shaky breath as desire flooded his veins. He could feel her heart beating against his stomach. It was a very sensuous experience, even though he wasn't sure why. He stiffened slightly as she bit him, white hot lust prickled through him like electricity. He carefully closed his eyes as ecstasy riddled his extremities.

The only reason why he wasn't jumping her now was that somewhere deep inside of him, something knew that she was too fragile for that right now. Still, it was painful not giving into his body's demands and needs. Eventually she stopped feeding and gently closed his wounds. She trembled a bit before falling asleep, completely sated and warm.

Without looking up, Aizen said, "I was wondering when you were going to get here, Gin."

Gin smiled, "I got a bit tied up with my mate, I apologize. So…." He stepped a bit closer. "That's how you reiatsu feed?"

"Yes." Aizen said, gently cuddling his mate closer to him. He'd done the best he could, and now it was time to move her. "At any other time than this, I would have killed you and everyone else if they saw this."

"I understand, and I promise not to peek again. How is she, by the way?" Gin took his comrade's opinion seriously. Aizen never made idle threats, especially if it was about something he held dear to him.

"She'll be fine once we get her back to Las Noches." He carefully stood up, marveling that his mate was so light. She couldn't weigh much more than 120 lbs.

"And Gin…." He said, looking at his subordinate.

"Yes, Aizen-sama?" Gin crossed his arms over his chest, a habit of his left over from being a captain in the soul society.

"When we get back I want to talk to the visitors as well as the zeros and you and Kaname all together. There is much I would like to discuss." When Gin nodded, everyone disappeared to reappear outside of the shield. Aizen let it fall and dissipate as he and the others returned to Las Noches.

Max, Lisa, Ryu, and Jade lingered a bit, looking around the site for some clues as to what happened. Max found his friend's battered sword and sighed. He gently picked up the hilt and murmured to it, "Thank you and I'm sorry."

It briefly shimmered green to show that it understood before returning to red mixed with purple. All three waved to Nel and her friends before disappearing to return to the palace. Nel sniffled and silently wept, feeling bad about unknowingly hurting her friend. Peshe and Dondochakka consoled her a bit before they too sighed.

A few hours later, everyone had freshened up and changed into more casual clothing. Night was now in Aizen's room sleeping. He left her there shortly after the doctor had made the last examinations. Night was going to be fine. She just needed rest and mental rejuvenation, which would require even more frequent feedings. Aizen didn't mind that so much, he had plenty of reiatsu to spare.

He entered the meeting room, finding it amusing that each one of his most trusted were sitting next to their mates. _How quickly we have become so used to their presences. _He thought as he sat down at the end of the long table. Kaname followed him and took his seat on his left.

"Before we begin, I would like us to have tea. Does that suit everyone's tastes?" Aizen asked, falling back into his shrewd calculating mentality.

Everyone shrugged or nodded yes, so once everyone got what they wanted, Aizen began, "I called you all here because I need to discuss some important things with you. Visitors and mates of my most trusted, I have called you especially here so that you may understand some things about us and we in turn can understand some things about you."

Lisa, Ryu, and Max nodded, "Fair enough."

Jade also nodded, though she asked, "Before we do so, may we ask you one question?"

Aizen smiled, knowing exactly what she was going to ask. "She's doing fine. Lindor just finished with his last examination about thirty minutes ago and stated that she will recover perfectly well as long as she has plenty of rest and mental rejuvenation."

"Thank you." Jade smiled.

Max and Lisa exchanged a long look. They knew what was up and they weren't sure they liked it. But… Night was Aizen's mate, so why should he not keep her close to him? They sullenly kept quiet.

"All right… let us begin." Aizen said softly and sipped his tea. "One subject I would like to discuss openly is what exactly happened outside the palace, and how it can be avoided."

Lisa rolled her eyes, but answered, "She forced her sword to peel from her soul. It's that simple."

"It is SO not that simple, Lisa." Jade corrected. She turned to Aizen and modified, "All of us shifters have a particular bond with a weapon that is similar to what you all have with your zanpakuto. The only difference is that this bond goes even deeper."

"Go on." Kaname said.

"Well, think of it like this, our weapons are not just a sword that can bond with us… they are living, breathing, creatures that work only as weapons because they choose to. Kiss of Death, Night's sword is made up of a mixture of spirit energy and an organism known as the Fallen. The Fallen are rumored to be descendents of demons and angels from an apocalyptic period that happened several thousand years ago. Our weapons are made of either light Fallen or dark Fallen." Max replied.

"Dark or Light?" Ulquiorra questioned.

"Light and Dark means simply angel or demon. Night's sword is demon Fallen. She is made for several purposes but the main one she usually chooses to go with is killing. Since she is a demon Fallen, she can bond deeply with Night and become fused into her spiritual energy and physical appearance. Unfortunately if one or the other disagrees with one another… they rip apart."

"That's what happened earlier." Grimmjow nodded. "The sword didn't mind the thought of killing that idiot Nel, but Night disagreed."

"And the only way to diffuse the situation was to separate forcefully." Jade said sadly. "The only way to prevent this from happening again is for her to get control of her inner emotions. But, we fear that isn't everything."

"What do you mean?" Gin asked.

Lisa sighed softly and glanced at Max for clarification. Max slowly nodded. "I think they need to know now…. Since she is indisposed right now, I am in charge. We were trying to avoid telling you guys about this… but circumstances being what they are… is forcing us to reveal one thing that is not really my or anyone else's right to tell you… except for Night."

Lisa rubbed her face and said, "The energy source you've been wondering about isn't necessarily ours."

"What do you mean? I studied it a bit and found that it is deeply embedded in your psyche." Kaname admitted.

"It is… but it wasn't ours originally. Let me explain. Each one of us at birth has been fused not only with a weapon… but also with a Daringer." Lisa grumbled.

"Daringer?" Stark questioned.

"A Daringer is a demon that has evolved to the highest level of deadliness and evilness. These creatures are put inside our heads to keep us under control." Max said bitterly. "Oh, we can use it as a last resort in battle, but if one of us gets too weak mentally, the Daringer takes over and if we can't dominate it into submission, we become a Death Bringer, someone who isn't demon, nor human… a cross between the two. Death Bringers are pure evil and only care about death, destruction, and mayhem." He involuntarily shivered. "The whole objective of fusing us with these demons is to make sure we don't get weak… and we don't rise up against our government or our respected royalty."

Lisa sighed, "If we become a Death Bringer, we are doomed to a life of utter destruction and constant killing and fear…."

"So, in other words you become the hunted." Aizen summarized.

"Worse than that. We become everyone's worse nightmare and if we aren't hunted down and destroyed, we…." Jade bit her lip and took in deep breaths.

Gin gently rubbed her back soothingly. She gave him a small smile of thanks. "We don't just destroy and kill till we die… we torture everything living by tearing them apart and cannibalizing. And we don't stop. We mainly target the most pure and innocent. We rape, we feed, we torture, we destroy, and we devour any living thing."

"Damn." Grimmjow's hair was standing on end. That was one of the sickest things he'd ever heard. True, the Arrancars devoured other souls and lesser hollows, but not like that.

Everyone was a bit silent before Jade continued. "Night is from a strong family of shifters. They have all been recognized in battle and have been heavily regarded as one of the noblest families to be of the Cat Dragon shifters. Most of us were fused with our weapons and a small, child like Daringer when we were toddlers. Night didn't have that choice. Only two hours after she was born, she was not only bonded with Kiss of Death, she was also fused with a two thousand year old Daringer."

"Shit." Grimmjow whistled shrilly. No wonder his boss was tangled up with her. She was a walking talking time bomb.

"Do your Daringers have names?" Aizen asked, curious.

"Oh, good one, Aizen-sama!" Gin congratulated his boss.

"We only find out their names after we defeat them. It's sort of a test of wills." Max shrugged.

"Have any one of you defeated them?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I have." Lisa sighed. "Mine's name is Trinity. We take on the names of our defeated submissive Daringers to replace our last given names. It's been four years since I beat the shit out of it."

"What about Night? If her Daringer is so old and strong, how much longer can she control it?" Grimmjow asked the question everyone else was thinking about.

Jade rubbed her face, "We don't know. She doesn't tell us much about it, even when it's bothering her. She wants to keep us safe and not worried, but it makes us worry about her more. When she found out that King Aizen was her mate, she was so ecstatic and took off running after him, even before she even knew what he was."

Aizen chuckled softly, "I gathered that was what happened."

"Do mates have anything to do with helping getting the Daringer into submission?" Gin asked.

"Bingo." Ryu piped up softly. "Lisa was only able to defeat her Daringer because she was so in depth with battle and because her inner demon was a bit of a wuss."

* * *

_*Ok bbs, going to have the next chapter up either tomorrow or Monday. Thank you again for your patience.*_


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